


The Future Used to be Dull

by TheSecretMistress



Series: Electricity Can Start A Heart [1]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Assassins, Blood, Blood Drinking, Family Secrets, Hunters, M/M, Mild Gore, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Possible Character Death, Vampire!OMC, battles, i'm terrible at tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:20:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 62,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8975686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSecretMistress/pseuds/TheSecretMistress
Summary: Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.





	1. Chapter 1

A young boy lazily looked at the other examinees from under his hood. He lightly pulled on his light purple cloak to cover him more and leaned back onto the tunnel wall behind him. He huffed softly when the edge of his cloak caught on his badge he pinned on his black sleeveless shirt and shifted the fabric around the numbered badge. He shut his red eyes to rest for a while only to open them again when he heard footsteps coming near him. He glanced upward, making sure the shadows of his hood covered his eyes, and saw a middle aged man coming straight for him.

"I noticed you over here alone and thought I would come say hi." The chubby man smiled. He stared at the man in response. After a few minutes of no response the man cleared his throat and tried again. "You're a rookie, right? My name's Tonpa and this will be my 35th time taking the exam." The young boy raised an eyebrow in response. That shouldn't be something to brag about. The man must not be here just for the exam if he failed that many times. It's either that or he's a complete idiot. "Listen," the boy coldly stared at Tonpa. "I don't want to talk so leave me alone."

The man's smile twitched as his eyes hardened. He sighed softly and reached up to adjust his hood to let his red eyes with slit pupils be seen. He tilted his head up and looked right into Tonpa's eyes.

_'What is wrong with this kid? His eyes aren't normal either, dammit. I'll have to find another rookie to ruin.'_

Tonpa scurried away with a quick goodbye and disappeared into the crowd. He stared after him for a few seconds before moving the light purple fabric to cast shadows over his eyes once more. The exam hasn't even begun and yet people were already looking for other examinees to ruin. "So boring..." He mumbled and sunk deeper into his cloak. He perked when a flash of silver caught his attention. He looked up and saw another boy with a yellow skateboard walking near him. The silver that caught his attention was actually the boy's hair. "Interesting..." He tilted his head and let his eyes examine the boy more closely.

The boy has blue eyes which popped against the boy's pale skin. It was a nice pale, not the sickly kind. He held out a hand in front of him and examined his own skin. His skin was the sickly kind of pale. He let his hand drop back into his cloak and raised his eyes to look at the silverette. The boy was looking straight back at him. He blinked in surprise and tilted his head. The boy's gaze drifted downward and he followed the boy's stare. The boy was looking at his half hidden badge. He raised a hand and moved the fabric so the whole badge could be seen and saw the silver haired boy's eyes widen at the number that was printed on the badge.

He let go of the light purple fabric and watched as it settled back onto its spot. He looked back up when he heard footsteps and saw the silver haired boy approach him. As the other boy drew closer he realized that the boy was taller than him. He frowned for a moment but quickly returned back to his neutral look when the boy stopped in front of him.

"You got here first?" The boy's blue eyes were filled with curiosity and something else. Hidden in those blue orbs was something dangerous and deadly. _Even more interesting._ He stared at the boy for a few moments before slowly nodding. He blinked in surprise when the boy's hand shot forward towards him, most likely aiming for his hood. He instinctively reached forward and grabbed the boy's wrist stopping his hand a few centimeters from the light purple fabric. The boy quickly snatched his wrist away as soon as he was caught.

"Is that all?" He glanced back up at the silver haired boy. He shifted slightly at the look the taller boy was giving him. It was a bit unreadable but there was a hint of curiosity in those blue orbs. "How old are you?" He frowned at that question and raised a hand to his hood. He pulled his hood back releasing his dark purple locks. "How old do I look?" He calmly asked.

The boy didn't even bat an eye at his appearance and furrowed his eyebrows at him. "...12." He smiled at that response and noticed that the taller boy also looked around 12 years old. He reached up and pulled his hood back over his head. "I'll see you later," he smiled mischievously. "That is _if_ you manage to stay in the Exam."

Those blue orbs hardened with annoyance at his words. He pulled his cloak tighter around his body and walked away. He could feel the silver haired boy's gaze on him till he entered the crowd. He weaved around the other participants aimlessly while he looked for another spot to occupy. He looked around and saw Tonpa approach a group of three people. "Looks like he found more rookies..." He muttered.

He blinked in shock when he bumped into something and turned his head to see what he bumped into, ready to quietly apologize if it was a person. "Watch where you're going, kid!" A taller man sneered down at him. Three other men who were next to the man he bumped into glared down at him too. "What's a kid like you doing here?" The tallest man of the group looked down at him. "You won't last even a second in the exams!" The men started laughing. The last one of the line waved a large hand towards the exit. "You should leave before you get yourself hurt!" The man smirked as his friends snickered. These guys were getting on his nerves. Arrogant fools.

"I should be telling you the same thing but I'm afraid you don't have the brain cells to process my advice." He coolly said. That stopped the laughter. "Who the hell do you think we are, brat?!" The first man snarled. "Imbeciles." He deadpanned. They should know better than to think he was weak because of his appearance. "Why you...!" The first man, obviously the leader, reached out to grab him when a loud scream stopped everyone in their tracks.

He tilted his head and turned his head in the direction of the scream and the first thing he saw was flower petals. Beautiful red flower petals. Red eyes followed the trail of petals and saw them coming from another examinee's arms. The man fell to his knees as he stared in horror and agony at his disappearing arms. "Oh, how peculiar..." He saw a red haired male standing near the man. He blinked at the man's unique appearance.

"Magician?" He mumbled. The man had a tear drop and a star painted on his cheeks completing his outfit. "His arms seem to have become flower petals." The man's voice sent a shiver down his spine. Something was off with that man. He should stay away. "No smoke and mirrors here." The man creepily smiled. "Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize." He looked towards the man he bumped into and rolled his eyes. Jerks will always be jerks, words from a creepy magician won't change that.

The crowd murmured uneasily around him and he took the opportunity and slipped away from the arrogant men. He weaved around the people around him while thinking about the scarlet petals. _I wonder how he did that,_ he thought absently. _That trick wasn't achieved by any normal means so he must have used something, but what?_

He stopped walking when he saw a flash of green. He turned his head and saw a young boy take an orange can from Tonpa's hands. The two others in his group also had cans in their hands. The boy in green had an interesting, innocent air around him. He tilted his head and inched closer so he could hear what they were saying.

"...plays the nice guy, despite being nastier than anyone else here." He stopped next to a group of men who were also watching Tonpa interact with the spiky black haired boy, blonde teen, and a man in a navy blue suit. "Tonpa, the rookie crusher..."

_Rookie crusher, huh?_

He turned his attention back to the group as Tonpa's voice reached him. "Best of luck to all of us!" Tonpa had his back to him so he couldn't see his facial expression, but he could detect deceit in his words. They clicked their cans together. The three rookies opened their cans while Tonpa just stood there, softly snickering. "No doubt he poisoned it from the way he's snickering." He pulled on his hood for the sake of doing something. He paused when something occurred to him.

He couldn't smell any scents of fruit from the canned juices. _So obvious, but will they notice it?_ He silently watched as the spiky haired boy and man with glasses took a sip from the can. The boy's amber eyes widened and the juice came pouring from the boy's mouth like a waterfall. He could see Tonpa recoil in shock and chuckled. "Tonpa-san, this juice must have expired." The boy's young voice reached his ears. "It tastes funny." The man in the suit quickly spit the orange liquid out at his companion's words. The blonde merely started pouring the drink on the ground.

"Seriously?" The man had an annoying voice. "That was close!" The man wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his suit. "H-Huh? That's strange..." Tonpa nervously rubbed the back of his head. He smiled at the fact that Tonpa got caught in his own act and silently turned around and went back into the crowd. He wandered around for a couple of minutes when the tunnel echoed with a loud, squeaky sound. _Reminds me of an alarm clock._ He turned his head towards the sound along with everyone else. The end of the tunnel started rising revealing more of the tunnel.

He narrowed his eyes as the wall went up. Even with his eyesight he couldn't see the end of the tunnel now. A man in a blue suit and a short, red tie was calmly standing in the middle of the tunnel as the wall completely disappeared into the ceiling. He slowly blinked as he stared at the elegantly dressed man. _Does he not have a mouth?_ He mentally shrugged it away. He had seen far stranger things than this. "I apologize for the wait." The wisteria haired man said in calm tone. "The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended."

He sighed with relief. The long wait was finally over. "The Hunter Exam will now begin!" That must mean this man must be their first examiner. Everyone around him started to grow excited at the wisteria haired man's declaration. "A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead." He rolled his eyes at this. No doubt everyone here knew that long before they came here. "Those who accept the risks, please follow me." The man pointed at the elevator in the way back. "Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you." He glanced back at the exit, curious to see if anyone here was too scared to take the Exam.

No one moved.

"Figures," He turned back towards the mouthless man. "Very well. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One." The man turned around and did something very odd. He started walking with his limbs completely straight. He tilted his head at this, however started walking also. After a few minutes of walking he noticed that the wisteria haired man's strides were growing larger. He had to start jogging to keep up. Murmurs of confusion drifted around him as the other examinees picked up the pace.

"I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner." So he was right, this middle aged man was their examiner. "I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase." He tilted his head at this information. _So it already started?_ He looked around him at the other examinees who were all running. Phase One must be an endurance test since the examiner was making them run just to catch up with him.

"Second Phase?" A man dressed as a ninja asked. "What about Phase One?"

"It has already commenced." Satotz merely said without turning around. The people around him started muttering uneasily at the examiner's words. Satotz turned his head to look at the participants. "You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's First Phase."

"Follow you? That's it?" The ninja asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," Satotz turned back towards the front. "I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me." He slowly nodded his head at the wisteria haired examiner's words. Not knowing how long you'll have to run will take its toll on the mentally weak. He had no doubt many people will drop out in this test.

He smirked as his light purple cloak fanned out behind him as he ran. His hood somehow defied gravity and stayed up. Already he could hear a couple people drop out completely exhausted. He snorted softly as he heard yet another wail of defeat. "Weaklings..." He mumbled.

xxxxx

His internal clock told him that two hours have passed since Phase One started. Satotz has led them over thirty kilometers already and he still couldn't see the end of the tunnel. A light blue glow flickered at the edge of his vision. He turned his head slightly and saw a fat teen running with a laptop in hand. The air around the black haired teen oozed with cockiness as he gazed at his laptop screen. "He won't last much longer..." He grimaced at the teen's scent. He lowered his pace and gradually fell back till he couldn't see or smell the cocky teen.

The heavy scent of sweat greeted him and he looked at his side. A couple feet over was that man in the navy blue suit with sweat dripping down his face. "Him too..." He scoffed. _Honestly, no doubt these people underestimated the Exam._ He rolled his eyes and faced the front. He blinked when the sound of wheels reached his ears and looked towards its source. _Oh._ The silver haired boy from earlier was riding his skateboard. Their eyes met for a brief second when the other passed the sweating man.

He smiled and dipped his head forward in a nod towards the silver haired boy. The boy didn't get a chance to respond since the man started yelling. "Hey! Wait up, kid!" The silver haired boy looked towards the man with an innocent expression. "You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!" He curiously watched as the man yelled at the silver haired boy.

"What do you mean?" The boy blinked at the man innocently. "Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!" He tilted his head at this. Satotz didn't say anything about _having_ to run. What the silver haired boy was doing was perfectly within the rules. "Why?" The boy looked from his skateboard back to the man.

"This is an endurance test!" The man's voice was very annoying. He sighed and wondered if he should correct the man, however the boy in green beat him to it. "No, it isn't." The man and boy looked back at the spiky haired boy who was running a few feet behind them. "Gon, what are you saying?"

"The examiner only told us to follow him." The boy, Gon, explained. "Whose side are you on, eh?" The man had a vein popping on his forehead. He chuckled softly at the man's actions. _Amusing._ His gaze followed the silver haired boy as he drifted to Gon's side. "Hey, how old are you?"

That was the same question he was asked earlier. Seems like he's interested in those who look around his age. "I'm twelve years old." He watched as the silver haired boy thoughtfully stared at Gon. The boy in green smiled at the other boy.

He gaped in shock when the silver haired boy kicked his skateboard up into the air and caught it with one hand. That was pretty cool. "Guess I'll run too." The silver haired boy started running without missing a beat. "Wow!" Looks like he wasn't the only one impressed by that skateboard trick. "That was cool!" Gon grinned widely at the boy next to him.

"I'm Killua." The silver haired boy introduced himself.

"I'm Gon." The boy in green cheerfully introduced himself too.

He blinked in surprise when Gon's amber eyes suddenly met his red ones. What surprised him even more was when Gon grinned and waved at him. His cheeks heated up and he swiftly faced the front, pulling his hood slightly. That was when he noticed them. The four men from earlier were running right in front of him. They noticed him in the same moment he noticed them. The leader elbowed the man to his right with a snicker and they started to fall back. He cautiously watched them as surrounded him. The leader was at his left while his buddies went to his right, front, and back.

"It's you again, brat." The leader sneered down at him. "I think it's time we taught you a lesson in manners, right?" The man smirked as his friends laughed, agreeing with him. "You shouldn't teach someone till you've mastered the subject." He calmly looked up at the bigger man from under his hood. "You don't have the right to teach me manners, I'm afraid."

The leader's eyes widened with rage and he snarled down at him. They started closing in on him slowly, making sure he had no where to run. He acted quickly. He jumped up when the leader swiped at him and used the man in front of him as a jumping board. He back flipped off the man sending him into the ground roughly and landed on the man who was stationed behind him.

The man cried out in surprise when the heels of his shoes dug into his face sending him to the ground too. He landed on the ground in a crouch and darted forward towards the last lackie. "What the-?!" His fist made contact with the man's cheek and he could see something white fly out of the lackie's mouth as he hit the floor. He started running as soon as his feet touched the ground and turned his head to face the shocked leader.

"Are you done?" The leader flinched at the cold glare that was directed at him and sweat dripped down his face. The leader tripped over his own feet and crashed to the ground. "Thought so," He snorted as he faced the front again.

"That was so cool!" He jumped in surprise at the sudden cheerful shout and turned his head. Gon and Killua were both looking at him. Gon was grinning widely while Killua had a slightly impressed glint in his eyes. "Can you show me how to do that?" Gon asked with that dazzling smile.

"S-Sure..." He mumbled with flushed cheeks. He wasn't used to someone complimenting him on something he had done. "I'm Gon and this is Killua!" The silver haired boy waved casually when he was introduced.

"My name is Asa Kleinfelder." He introduced himself. "Why were those men after you?" Gon asked with a confused look. "Oh," Asa looked back at his attackers fallen forms. "I ran into one of them earlier and more or less mocked him." He looked back at the boys, one looking curious and the other looking amused.

That's when he heard something drop against the ground. Asa looked behind him to see the man in the suit with his hands on his knees, his briefcase a couple feet behind him on the ground. "Gon..." Gon turned at the sound of his voice and saw his companion completely exhausted. Gon started slowing down before completely stopping in his tracks. Asa came to a stop next to Gon while Killua stopped a couple inches ahead of them.

Asa curiously watched as the man glanced up and saw them staring at him. "Hey, forget him." Killua looked at Gon. "Let's get going." Asa glanced between the boys before looking back at the man in the suit. _I wonder if he's going to give up_ , he thought. He wouldn't be the first person to give up in Phase One. Killua raised an eyebrow as he stared at Gon who was staring at his friend with determination.

"Screw that..." Asa perked up when he heard the man speak in a soft voice with his eyes screwed shut. _Oh, he's giving up._ "Let's go," Asa turned around and started walking. "He gave-"

"I'm gonna become a Hunter! Damn it all!" Asa froze at the sudden shout and a blur swiftly passed him sending his cloak flying around him. He hurriedly fixed his cloak and stared at the man's back with disbelief. "Huh, he certainly is fast..." He mumbled as he turned back to the two boys.

Gon was grinning. Asa tilted his head when the spiky haired boy grabbed the fishing pole he had strapped to his back and threw the line. He watched in amazement with Killua as the hook caught the briefcase. Gon expertly flicked his wrist and caught the briefcase in his free hand. "Cool!" Killua grinned. "That was awesome." Asa agreed. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the strong scent of medicine that came from the breifcase. The man must be an aspiring doctor. Gon smiled in response and they started running again to catch up with the rest of the group. "Let me try that later." Killua glanced at Gon's fishing pole. "If you let me try your skateboard, okay?"

Asa wanted to try both the fishing pole and skateboard but he didn't have anything for the boys to try in return so he kept quiet. If he found something later he would mention it, but for now he had nothing.

"Oh?" Asa smiled at what he saw coming up. "What is it?" Gon curiously looked at him. "I see stairs coming up." Gon blinked before looking in front of them. "I don't see anything..." Asa softly chuckled and shook his head. "I can see a lot farther than normal so I'm not surprise."

"That must come in handy." Killua said.

"It does." Asa hummed. His vision helped him in many situations. Especially in life or death situations.

xxxxx

"Asa was right!" Gon chirped as the stairs came into view. "Asa is amazing!" Asa flushed at the compliment and hurriedly pulled his hood to hide his red cheeks. "I-It's nothing..." He mumbled. He glared at Killua when he heard the other start laughing. Killua innocently looked away causing him to turn away with a huff.

Asa glanced up to check on their examiner and noticed that Satotz's strides became longer. _He certainly is pushing us_ , he dryly thought. A lot more people will drop out at this rate.

"Gon, Asa, wanna race to see who finishes first?" Killua's voice drew him out of his thoughts. Asa looked at the silver haired boy with a smirk. "Sure. The loser has to buy dinner!" Gon grinned at them. "Alright, but I'm afraid you two will have to empty your pockets soon." Asa chuckled as the boy's eyes hardened with determination. "Okay, you're on!" Killua smirked back at him.

"Ready... Go!" Both Killua and Gon sprung forward at the same time. Asa laughed as the two ran even faster than before. "Better catch up!" Asa quickened his pace and ran past the other participants in a blur. He went up the steps two at a time and caught up to the two boys right as they were passing the blonde and the man in the suit. Except he was shirtless now. The man's jacket was tied around his waist.

Asa silently slowed his pace and ran behind the four as Gon said, "See you at the goal, Kurapika." He assumed the blonde was Kurapika since Gon was looking at the blonde when he said that. "Catch you later, old timer." Killua smirked at the older male. Asa chuckled softly at the look of rage that bloomed on the man's face.

"I'm not old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!" The three all froze at what the man just said. Looks of shock and disbelief rose on their faces as they stared at their companion. Asa snickered and shook his head. "Huh? No way!" That was the only thing that came out of Killua's mouth as he stared wide eyed at the older male.

"Don't you know people can look younger or older than they look?" Asa called out, drawing their attention. "Just look at me!" He laughed as he quickened his pace to run next to Killua and the man. "Eh? How old are you, Asa?" Gon still had that look of disbelief from his companion's words.

"Me? Oh," Asa frowned as he quickly tried to remember which year it was now. "I don't know."

One of the participants near them tripped on the stairs and fell down with a loud shriek. Asa grimaced at the loud voice and shifted closer to Killua. "Didn't you say you were twelve?" Killua frowned at him. "You said I _looked_ twelve," Asa pointed out. "I never confirmed that, did I?" He laughed at the look of annoyance on the silver haired boy's face.

"Bye!~" Asa waved and ran up the stairs, leaving the others behind. He could hear Gon and Killua quicken their pace after Gon said goodbye to his companions. After a few moments the two boys were on both his sides as they matched his pace. Asa smiled at them before facing the front to make sure he didn't trip over any fallen bodies.

"I'm impressed that you can keep up with me." Killua spoke up after a few minutes of peaceful silence. "Really?" Gon rubbed the back of his neck with a small laugh. "Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow." Killua said with a bored look on his face. "Man... The Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze." Killua compained, obviously disappointed. "That's no fun."

"Hey, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon shifted a bit to avoid stepping on one of the examinees. "Me?" Killua lifted his gaze from the stairs and back on them. "I'm not really interested in becoming a Hunter."

"Eh?" Gon blinked in surprise.

"I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it'd be fun." Killua smirked with his eyes closed. "But this is disappointing." Asa softly laughed at the arrogant boy next to him. No doubt the Exam will have a few twists in it to keep them entertained in the future, so the silver haired boy shouldn't be worried about being bored with the Exam.

"What about you?" Killua asked in return. "Well, my dad's a Hunter." Asa looked at the black haired boy in surprise. Having a parent as a Hunter would be an advantage since the parent would no doubt train their child in preparation for the Exam. "So I want to become a Hunter, like my dad." The three of them moved a little to the right to avoid another body.

"Hmm... What kind of Hunter is he?" Killua asked, interested. "I don't know." Gon said with that same cheery tone he always had. Asa nearly tripped at Gon's response. _How could he not know?!_ Asa looked at Gon in disbelief while Killua laughed. "That's kinda weird."

"Really?" Gon innocently questioned. "You want to be like your dad, but you don't know anything about him?" Killua had an amused twinkle in his eyes. "I was raised by Mito-san, so I've only seen my dad in pictures." Gon turned back to the front with that cheerful smile. _Mito-san?_ "Who's Mito-san?" Killua asked the question Asa was thinking. "Aunt Mito."

"Oh..." Killua and Asa exchanged looks before looking back at Gon who had started talking once more. "When he was twelve, my dad took the Hunter Exam. He passed and became a Hunter. Then he left the island. I want to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with me."

Asa was amazed that there was no bitterness in Gon's voice, only innocent curiosity. If that happened to him he knew he would've been bitter and hated his father, yet Gon displayed none of that. _He has a strong spirit_ , he thought. "Asa, why do you want to be a Hunter?" Gon turned those amber eyes on him causing him to blink in response. Asa noticed that Killua was also looking at him for his answer.

"I was bored and decided to take the Exam," Asa nodded towards Killua. "Like Killua." Gon nodded while Killua looked thoughtful. He perked up when he saw a light at the end of the tunnel and nudged the two boys in the side, gaining their attention.

"Look," Asa pointed at the light. "It's the exit!" The boys looked at each other before taking off. Asa threw his head back, laughed, and ran after the duo. To others he was nothing of a blur as he zoomed past them. After mere moments he stepped into the light and heard grass being crunched under his shoes.

He skidded to a stop and turned behind him just in time to see Satotz step out of the tunnel. He waved at the surprised examiner who quickly regained his neutral expression. He watched as the examiner started turning his head to look back into the tunnel when both boys bounded past him cheering, "Goal!"

Asa pressed a pale hand to his mouth to muffle his laughter at the boy's entrance. "Yay! I win!" Gon cheerfully threw his free hand up into the air. Asa tilted his head as he stared at them, noticing that they haven't noticed his presence yet. He shook his head with an amused smile and crossed his arms in front of his chest. _Let's see how long it'll take them._

"What are you talking about? I was faster..." Killua playfully smiled. "I was." Gon insisted. "No, I was!" Killua argued. "I was faster, so you have to buy dinner!" Gon seemed convinced that he won. "Nope! I was faster. So you buy me dinner." Killua stubbornly said. Asa chuckled at both boy's stubbornness. "But I was faster!"

Gon turned towards the examiner who was staring at them. "Hey, who was faster?"

"I believe that you crossed the finish line simultaneously, however," Satotz pointed at Asa. "I believe your friend here crossed the line before you." Gon and Killua snapped their heads in Asa's direction who waved at them in response. "Eh?" Gon gaped at him. "When did you get here, Asa?"

"I crossed the line before Satotz got here." Asa laughed and walked towards them. "I believe you both owe me dinner?" Both boys slumped forward, defeated. Asa giggled at their reactions before something occurred to him. He couldn't eat human food. _Great, I just dug myself a hole_ , he gloomily thought. "Hey, Satotz-san," Gon quickly perked back up and looked towards the wisteria haired man. "Is this where the Second Phase of the exam takes place?"

"No, we still have quite a way to go." Asa sighed at this. He looked around their surroundings with a frown. The only place they could run through now was that swamp that was covered in fog. He made a mental note to stick close to the two boys during the second half of Phase One.

"Oh..." Gon made a disappointed sound. They sat down near the entrance of the tunnel to wait for Gon's companions. "Hey," Asa looked towards Killua when he whispered softly to him. "Yes?"

"Were you telling the truth about not knowing your own age?"

"What do you think?" Killua narrowed his eyes at his cheeky dodge. Killua opened his mouth to respond but Gon cut him off. "Hey, Kurapika!" Gon called out the blonde's name when the other appeared from the tunnel. Kurapika waved in response as he struggled to regain his breath back. "Is this our destination?"

"No, it isn't."

"I see." Kurapika looked around as the older male on the ground next to him panted. Gon stood up and waved a hand towards Asa, grinning. "Kurapika, Leorio, this is Asa." Asa stood up when the black haired boy introduced him. "Asa, this is Kurapika and Leorio." The man, Leorio, grunted in response without looking up. "It's nice to meet you." Kurapika smiled and held out his hand for Asa to shake.

"Likewise." Asa politely said and gently shook hands with the taller blonde. He paused when he felt something from Kurapika. Revenge hung heavily around the blonde teen. _Such an interesting group I stumbled across._ The blonde blinked in surprise at his sickly pale hand but quickly smiled again. He could see Kurapika shiver slightly and let go of the other's hand, knowing that his low body temperature caused the shiver. Asa looked back at the boys before looking towards the foggy swamp. "Huh?" He blinked in surprise.

"What is it?" Asa turned towards Gon before looking back at the swamp. "The fog over there is fading." Gon turned towards the swamp and smiled widely as more of the fog faded revealing more of the area. Asa watched as a bunch of crows burst out of the trees and disappeared into the sky. Asa nudged Killua lightly with the tip of his black shoe. Killua groaned softly in response and got to his feet.

"The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp." Asa glanced at Satotz when the man started speaking. "We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam." He softly sighed at this. With a name like that this swamp could only mean doom to a lot of participants. "We're going to have to be careful," Asa murmured softly. Killua nodded in response, already looking bored.

"This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them." Asa shivered. That sounded a bit too close to what he was. "Scared?" Killua smirked, misunderstanding the reason why the purple haired boy shivered. "No," He rolled his eyes at his companion and playfully stuck his tongue out at him. They snickered for a few moments before Satotz's voice drew their attention again.

"Be very careful. If you let them fool you..." Satotz turned to face the examinees with a hand up in the air. "...you're dead." Asa shook his head at this. Even with this warning there was no doubt some examinees would get tricked while in the swamp. The participants uneasily muttered amongst themselves while a very few of them looked unaffected. Asa noticed that the magician was one of those who were unaffected.

Asa looked behind him at the entrance to the tunnel as the door started coming down. He watched as a man fell at the top of the stairs and reached out towards them while desperately screaming, "Wait for me!" He shook his head slightly as the door completely shut the man in darkness. "Fool," He scoffed. "He should've been faster than that."

"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey." Asa looked back at their calm examiner. "An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit... Hence the name Swindlers Swamp."

"The same can be said for mankind," Asa muttered softly. "Humans also deceive others to get what they desire."

"True." Asa jumped which made the silver haired boy laugh. Asa glared at Killua for startling him and turned away with a huff. He saw Satotz turn around to face the swamp. "Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived." Asa glanced around him when an animal-like scent swept past him. He frowned softly as everyone around him tensed with determination.

"What a joke." He heard Leorio say. "How can they fool us, when we're expecting it?"

"You'll be surprised at how easy it is to fool people," Asa coolly said as he continued to try and locate where the new scent was coming from. "Especially gullible people like you."

"What was that?!" Leorio growled as a vein made itself known on the man's forehead.

"Don't let them fool you!" An unfamiliar voice shouted out, catching everyone's attention. "I just said that they can't." Leorio glared in the voice's direction only to stop in shock at what he saw. A battered man limped from around the small building. "D-Don't fall for it..." Everyone muttered in surprise. "He's lying to you!" The wounded man angrily pointed towards Satotz. "He's an impostor! He isn't an examiner..." The man pointed at himself. "I'm the real examiner."

Asa silently inspected the injured man. The man's scent wasn't human. It was very similar to the swamp. Asa nudged Killua and murmured, "He's the fake." Killua nodded having already came to that conclusion. "An impostor? What's going on?" It seems like Leorio hasn't caught on yet.

"Then who is he?" The ninja's eyes darted between the fake and Satotz. Asa shook his head at this. Surely someone else knew that the injured man was lying? "Look at this..." The fake dragged a limp figure into view causing a ripple of shock and uneasy through the participants. "He looks just like Satotz-san!" Gon gasped. Asa frowned at this. "It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!" The ape looked dead with its long tongue dangling out of its mouth.

However, he could tell that it was still alive.

"A Man-Faced Ape?" Leorio's eyes widened.

"Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!" Asa had to hand it to the fake examiner, he was making it quite convincing. A lot of the examinees were now looking at Satotz with distrust and were shifting away from the wisteria haired man.

"Bastard..." Leorio muttered.

"He certainly doesn't walk like a human..." The ninja warily looked at Satotz.

That's when he sensed the bloodlust. Asa jumped backward at the sudden bloodlust, bumping into Killua, and flinched when a card flew right past his face and lodged itself in the fake's forehead while two others went into the fake's chest. Asa turned his head and saw the magician smirking. He saw that Satotz had a couple of the magician's playing cards trapped between his fingers.

"Are you okay?" Asa took a step back away from Killua. "Yes, sorry for almost knocking you down." He reached up and adjusted his hood back to its former position, having almost been knocked down by his sudden movement.

"I see, I see... That settles it..." Asa looked back towards the magician and saw that the taller male was shuffling even more cards. "You're the real one." Asa glanced back at Satotz and understood why the magician did that. The real examiner would also be a Hunter. A Hunter that could dodge or block that attack.

Satotz let go of the cards and let them drift down to the ground. Asa turned his head and saw the ape scramble across the grass back towards the swamp, desperate to escape now that its act has been found out.

"Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack." The magician explained in that voice like silk.

"I shall take that as a compliment." Satotz calmly stared at the magician. "However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner and you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?" Asa could detect a hint of a dangerous promise in their calm examiner's tone.

"Sure." The magician said without a care in the world. The magician turned his gaze towards Asa and smiled with a sinister glint in his eyes. "I apologize for almost hitting you, little one." Asa returned the magician's gaze with a glare. He knew that the magician did that on purpose. He also knew that the magician didn't regret his action.

The caws of birds made everyone turn back towards the corpse just in time to see a few vultures settle down for dinner. "Nature really can be brutal to watch..." Asa had to agree with Leorio. Nature can be beautiful at times and yet still be brutal at other times. "So he was a Man-Faced Ape, as well." Kurapika watched the birds with disgust.

"He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away." Asa turned his gaze away from the birds and back on their examiner who started walking between the examinees. "We cannot relax our guard." Killua warned them. "Yeah." Gon agreed while watching Satotz with a focused look in his eyes. "We'll make it through." Asa nudged both of them with a smile. Killua and Gon exchanged glances before smiling too.

"You will be encountering such deception on a regular basis." Satotz stopped a couple feet away from the corpse. "I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity?" A good number of the participants, Leorio and the ninja included, tried to act like they weren't fooled. They were horrible actors.

"Do you understand?" Satotz turned to face the examinees. "If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear that in mind."

"We should stick together." Asa whispered. Killua and Gon nodded in response.

"Then let us be on our way. Please follow me." Satotz started running with his limbs straight again and the examinees all followed. Asa made sure to stay between Gon and Killua to make sure he doesn't lose them once they enter the foggy swamp.

_I hope something exciting happens before we reach Phase Two_ , he thought with a small smile. _The Exam is suppose to be a cure for my boredom._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.

Asa was uneasy. He could sense a lot of hungry animals all around them as they ran after the wisteria haired man. He took comfort at the warmth he felt from Killua and Gon due to running so close to them. "Pay attention now. Be sure to stay close behind me." Satotz was effortlessly running with his limbs straight, not at all bothered by the wet ground of the swamp.

"Guys," Asa murmured when he noticed something. "The fog is getting thicker." It'll be harder to see through the fog with it getting so thick. "We'll be alright!" Gon grinned. Asa smiled slightly in response at the black haired boy's optimistic view. Asa tensed when he felt the bloodlust growing larger from behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know who was getting the urge to kill.

"Killua, do you sense that?" He looked towards the boy running next to him. Killua nodded and his eyes narrowed. "Gon, Asa, let's move up." Gon blinked in confusion but didn't question it. "Okay. We don't want to lose sight of the examiner."

"That's not it Gon." Asa shook his head. "We're more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka. Staying too close to him is dangerous. We can smell it in the air." Killua said. _So, the magician's name is Hisoka?_ "Smell?" Gon sniffed the air before looking back at Hisoka. "I don't think he smells." Asa glanced behind them and jerked slightly when he saw the magician was looking at him with that creepy smile. He snapped his head back towards the front with a frown. "We need to hurry, Hisoka's looking at us." Asa hissed softly.

Gon nodded and turned his head and shouted, "Leorio! Kurapika! Killua and Asa say that we should move up!"

"Gon! Don't you sense all the bloodlust and tension around us?!" Asa frowned with his hands over his slightly pointed ears. He silently cursed his sensitive hearing. It was such a bother when people raised their voices next to him.

"Moron!" Leorio screamed from somewhere in the fog. "If I had the strength, I'd already be there!"

"Don't worry about us!" Kurapika's shout sounded close to wherever Leorio was. "What?" Gon frowned, obviously worried about his companions. "Let's go, Gon, Asa." Killua picked up the pace. "Ah, wait!" Gon called out as he ran to catch up with the silver haired boy. Asa kept pace next to Gon and slowed down once they reached Killua. Asa looked towards Gon and he could see worry in those amber orbs.

"I'm sure they'll be alright," Asa awkwardly smiled, not used to having to reassure someone. "They're together so they can look out for each other. They'll be sure to meet us at the end of Phase One."

"Thanks Asa." Gon smiled, his spirits lifted. Asa nodded in response and flinched when screams erupted from all around them. It looks like some of the examinees have fallen prey to some of the animals that dwelled in the swamp. Soon the heavy scent of blood filled the air causing him to grimace.

 _How long has it been since I last drank?_ Asa desperately hung onto his self-control as the metallic scent of blood drifted around them. "I hear people screaming all around us." Gon worriedly frowned. Asa took deep breaths to calm himself. "Just stay on your guard." Killua said, not concerned at all about the screams. "I wonder if Leorio and Kurapika are okay..."

"They're fine," Asa said once he felt that he wasn't in danger of losing control. "They're strong, right? They'll make it." Gon smiled slightly and nodded in thanks. The trio stopped running when the ground beneath them shifted. "Gon, Killua, we should move..." Asa nervously shifted. "Yeah..." Killua cautiously took a step forward. The ground beneath them disappeared. Asa panicked and did the first thing that came to mind.

He changed into a bat.

Asa squeaked and desperately took to the air, his clothes falling down into the hole in his place. His small bat form was agile and he didn't have any trouble at all of finding his balance from the unexpected change. He was glad that he wasn't a normal bat and could actually see without resorting to using sound to find his way. Asa squeaked again when a huge frog appeared from the hole in the ground. He flew in circles above the giant frog as it took a couple steps out of the hole. Asa drifted downward and landed on the soft, wet grass and peered into the hole.

Nothing.

He looked up at the huge green frog and squeaked in horror. _It ate them!_ That was the only explanation and he didn't like it at all. Asa spread his wings, ready to take off, when a large shadow covered his small form. He turned around and squeaked in shock. A gray wolf with black spikes on its shoulders was staring down at him with hungry eyes. _Oh no_ , he thought with growing horror.

In his bat form he was powerless. He couldn't change back into his human form till at least five minutes have passed. Asa quickly took to the air to escape the hungry animal but flinched in pain when claws tore through his wing. He dangerously fluttered, almost crashing to the ground, but managed to hook onto a low tree branch.

Asa peeked over the edge of the branch down at the wolf who was circling the tree. The wolf snarled and growled as it glared up at its escaped prey. He could still hear the loud thuds of the frog's footsteps nearby, reassuring him that he could still find the creature that swallowed his companions and clothes.

Ignoring the loud growls of the hungry wolf he examined his torn wing. It was healing, but at a slow rate since he hadn't satisfied his thirst in a while. Asa's ears twitched when the loud footsteps of the frog stopped. He winced at the sound of the frog emptying its stomach and shivered in disgust.

_Wait, emptying its stomach?_

Asa squeaked in glee and hurriedly made his way around the tree, nearly falling in the process, and went down the length of the new branch he got on. He smiled when he saw Killua and Gon in the middle of the pool of vomit. He wrinkled his nose at the heavy smell and glanced at the frog as it started walking away, not concerned that it had just lost its meal.

"Guess he didn't like the taste of us." Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It was this." Killua held up a familiar orange can. _Poison saved them?_ It seems like Tonpa was actually helpful for once. "That was from Tonpa-san! Guess he saved us." Gon said, ever the optimistic boy.

"Well, I could have escaped." Killua tossed the empty can on the ground. "I'm still worried about Leorio and Kurapika." Gon looked around him, his eyes widening when he realized something. "Where's Asa?" Killua frowned and looked around, spotting the wet bundle of clothes near them. "His clothes are here..." He stood up and nudged the pile of clothes with his foot.

"Eh? Was he digested?" Gon held up the light purple cloak. "Idiot, something else must have happened to him." Killua said, a hint of concern in his blue eyes. Gon pouted at being called an idiot, but started looking around them for a certain someone.

Asa silently laughed and looked down at the ground. The wolf was nowhere in sight. _Here we go_ , he thought as he flexed his fully healed wing. He jumped off the branch and drifted down into the bushes next to the tree. "Asa!" He could hear Gon calling his name. Asa looked around him and, after seeing that he was alone and hidden from sight, started to change back into his human form.

Asa blinked at the sudden feeling of being back in his normal form and checked his body over for any injuries he missed. All he saw was pale, unblemished skin. "Asa!" He looked up at the sound of his name being called. "I'm over here!" He called back. He could hear fast approaching footsteps coming towards him and hurriedly said, "But I need my clo-"

"Asa! Are you..." Asa jumped when Killua suddenly barged into the large bush with Gon close behind. Killua froze when his eyes landed on the very naked purple haired boy. Both their faces turned a bright red color. "Killua, why did you suddenly stop?" Gon whined, rubbing his forehead from bumping into the other boy. Killua turned around and shoved Gon out of the bush and stumbled after him, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Eh? Killua, why is your face so red?" Gon asked, completely oblivious to what happened.

Asa mentally thanked the gods above that Gon didn't see him due to running into Killua. "Idiot!" Killua shouted, sounding very flustered. "I...I need my clothes!" Asa called out, still faintly blushing. After a couple moments a pale hand appeared from the leaves with his clothes gripped firmly. "Thanks," he mumbled as he took his clothes back.

Asa swiftly pulled on his outfit and pulled his cloak on. He pulled his hood up, hoping that it would help hide the faint blush that he knew was still on his cheeks. He stepped out of the bush to see Gon smiling and Killua looking away with heated cheeks. "Sorry about that," Asa awkwardly laughed. "Let's get a move on." Killua glanced at Asa before looking away again. "We can still catch up to the examiner." Killua started running and Asa was quick to follow. Asa was glad that none of the boys were asking him _why_ he had no clothes on. Killua was probably too embarrassed to ask and Gon was too oblivious.

Asa made sure to stay behind the silver haired boy so he could calm himself from the embarrassing situation he was caught in. The whole run was silent with both boys unwilling to start a conversation in fear of remembering that moment. Asa was just fine with the silence, he was used to it after all. Even if it was a bit awkward it was still peaceful in a way.

After a while of running Killua stopped causing Asa to stop so he wouldn't bump into the taller boy. He peered around Killua and smiled when he saw the other examinees running after Satotz. "Cool..." Killua said, pleased. "Gon! We managed to catch up with the main...group..." Asa's smile fell when he turned around and the spiky haired boy was nowhere in sight. "Huh?" He mumbled, frowning. "Killua, we lost Gon." Killua turned around and frowned when he also saw that Gon was missing.

"Where'd he go?" Killua murmured, concerned. "He most likely went to look for Leorio and Kurapika." Asa pointed out. Killua nodded, still frowning. "I'm sure he'll pop up eventually with Leorio and Kurapika." Asa lightly nudged Killua. Killua's frown turned into a small smile as he nodded.

"We should go, before we lose them again." Asa said, noticing that the group was slowly disappearing into the fog. "Right." Killua nodded and they were off running towards the main group.

xxxxx

Asa and Killua wandered through the crowd of examinees. They had just reached the site for Phase Two and were currently looking for any signs of Gon. "Huh?" Killua mumbled as he looked around them. "Gon's not here..." Asa murmured as his grip on the hood of his cloak tightened. _Maybe something bad happened to him in the swamp_ , he worriedly thought. He froze at what he just thought.

Why was he worried about Gon?

He only met the spiky haired boy a couple of hours earlier, same with Killua, and yet he was concerned over Gon's well-being. Even if they only met a few hours earlier it felt like he knew Killua and Gon for a lifetime already. They already drew out his more friendly side. Usually he would be more cold to strangers.

It was a... _strange_ feeling. However, it wasn't unwelcome. It had been a very long time since he last was in someone's presence for more than ten minutes. It was a welcome change to his boring life. Asa peeked over at Killua from under his hood. Very welcome change indeed. He glanced back at the forest, they exited the swamp a while ago, and softly sighed. He was confident that Gon would soon appear with Kurapika.

The magician, Hisoka, already dropped off an unconscious Leorio next to a tree. He could smell some blood from the magician and was relived when he realized that the blood was unfamiliar to him. That meant that none of it came from either Gon, Leorio, or Kurapika. Even though none of them bled around him he could still determine if it was their blood due to their natural scents. Every person's blood had a hint of the person's natural scent mixed in with the metallic scent.

That made it easier to track people based solely on blood trails.

Asa perked up when a familiar scent of the mountains reached him. "Killua," He grabbed the other boy's sleeve to stop him. "I can smell Gon."

"Smell?" Killua repeated, confused. Asa smiled and lightly tapped the tip of his nose. "I have a great sense of smell." He laughed softly before tugging Killua's sleeve to get the taller boy to follow him. "Over here." Asa led Killua through the exhausted crowd of applicants as he followed Gon's scent. His smile grew larger when he saw Gon and Kurapika standing next to a beat up Leorio.

"Gon!" Asa called as he let go of Killua's sleeve to hurry over to the spiky haired boy. "Asa! Killua!" Gon grinned when he saw them approach, Killua a few steps behind the purple haired boy. "I can't believe you actually got here..." Killua stopped next to Gon as Asa circled the black haired boy, looking for any injuries. "I thought you were done for."

Asa frowned when he saw marks on Gon's neck. "I just tracked Leorio's cologne." Gon said. "Cologne? That was how? You and Asa are definitely weird." Killua muttered. Asa rolled his eyes at what he said and leaned in closer to Gon. "Eh? What are you doing?" Asa ignored Gon and sniffed, trying to get a scent.

Hisoka's scent faintly brushed past him. Asa stepped away from the spiky haired boy with a frown. "...Are you okay?" Gon looked confused at his sudden question. "I'm okay." Asa frowned, unconvinced. _I need to have a talk with Hisoka_ , he thought. That was an encounter he wasn't looking forward to.

"Excellent work, everyone." Asa looked towards Satotz and saw that the middle aged man was standing in front of a gate. "Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you." Satotz started walking down the path and soon disappeared into the forest.

The heavy sound of the metal gates being opened drew everyone's attention. "Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" A female voice came from farther within the park. Asa swallowed when the various scents of fruits and vegetables came at him. He only started walking when Killua elbowed him in the side.

"Welcome." A young woman said from the elegant couch she sat on in front of the huge mansion. Her teal hair was tied in five different ponytails and she was wearing a very revealing outfit. The man behind her was very large, at least double the woman's height. His yellow long sleeved shirt barely covered his enormous stomach and he wasn't wearing shoes.

"I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner." The woman said once everyone was inside the large area. "And I'm Buhara, the other examiner." The large man gleefully said. Asa narrowed his eyes and looked around. There were cooking stations set up everywhere around them. He grimaced and looked back at their new examiners. A loud roaring noise echoed around them causing everyone to murmur in surprise.

"Wh-What was that sound?" A participant asked.

"You must be hungry." Menchi looked back at Buhara who was frowning. "I'm starving..." The large man whined. "There you have it. Phase Two will involve..." Menchi stood up and paused for dramatic effect. "...cooking!" She pointed at the crowd with a proud smile. "The bane of my existence..." Asa grumbled, depressed. Killua snickered, having heard Asa's grumble. Asa glared at the snickering boy and crossed his arms.

"C-Cooking?" The ninja questioned with wide eyes.

"Wait! Cooking?" The fat man with the ponytail complained. "We're here to take the Hunter Exam!"

"That's quite right." Menchi's smile grew. "Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate."

"Why do we have to cook?!" Asa rolled his eyes as the examinees continued to complain. If they kept that up the Second Phase will be even more difficult. He could already see that Menchi was losing her patience.

"That's because we are Gourmet Hunters." Menchi proudly declared.

"Huh?" The fat man laughed loudly. "Man, what a letdown." A lot of the participants started laughing at Menchi's occupation. "They're Gourmet Hunters..." An applicant snickered.

"Why are they laughing?" Asa quietly asked. "They're still Hunters."

"Everyone's an idiot." Killua bluntly said. "They hear the word 'Gourmet' and all they can imagine are cooks in the kitchen, not Hunters."

Menchi glared at the laughing applicants and crossed her arms. She took a deep breath before releasing it. "So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?" The fat man mockingly asked. Menchi spared the man one look before closing her eyes. "Buhara."

Asa winced at the heavy sound of the large man standing up. "The required ingredient is pork."

"Pork? As in pig meat?" An applicant asked.

_Idiot._

"You're free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs." Buhara continued, ignoring the stupied question. "You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious." That could be a problem. Menchi was already irritated so she would no doubt be harder on the dishes than Buhara.

"And we will evaluate more than just taste." Menchi continued off from where Buhara left off. "Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it?" Her gaze was as cold as ice as she looked at the examinees. "When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end."

"We get it. We get it." That fat man waved a hand at them dismissively. "Let's just start."

"Then, the exam's Second Phase..." Buhara slapped a hand on his belly creating a gong-like noise. "...begins now!"

Asa quickly followed after Killua and Gon as everyone started running out of the park and into the forest. The five of them quickly split from the rest of the examinees and started walking, looking for any signs of pigs.

"Catch a pig and cook it. This is way easier than the First Phase." Leorio confidently said. "If you believe that then you're a fool." Asa bluntly said. "What was that?!" Leorio glared down at him while he looked away. "The truth." Asa swiftly followed after Gon when the spiky haired boy slid down the hill, ignoring Leorio's frustrated screams.

Asa grinned as he slid down the grassy hill, one hand gripping his hood firmly to make sure it didn't get blown off. He could hear Killua cheering behind him as they sped down the hill. Asa squealed when he hit a small bump on the hill and somehow spun around, now facing the silver haired boy. He waved at the grinning boy who waved in response.

Asa tilted his head in confusion when Killua started panicking, pointing behind the purple haired boy. "Wh-" Asa shrieked in surprise when his back made contact with something. The scent of the mountains told him it was Gon he crashed into. Asa looked up and squeaked when he saw Killua coming closer. _On no._

Asa grunted when he felt Killua smash into him, forcing him to bury his face in the other's shoulder so they didn't headbutt each other. He winced when he felt Leorio and Kurapika also make contact. "What was that about, Gon?!" Killua snapped. Asa softly groaned and leaned back, rubbing his forehead. Killua looked towards him with his brows furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Asa waved a hand dismissively. "Found them." Asa turned his head to look at Gon but tensed at what he saw. "Killua, look!" Asa pointed at the very large pigs with huge snouts nearby. "Gon found the pigs!" Killua looked in the direction Asa was pointing and gaped in shock.

"Uh... They're chewing on bones." Leorio nervously said. The pigs were happily munching on the bones of another large animal. The faint scent of blood hung around the skeleton causing Asa to lean further away from the pigs. "Don't tell me..." Kurapika's gaze was locked on the nearest pig who broke a bone in half. "They're carnivores?"

"This will be interesting," Asa muttered when one of the pigs spotted them and snorted angrily. Asa jumped up to his feet and pulled Gon up by his backpack. "Come on!" Asa started to run when the every single pig started coming after them. "Are you scared of a couple of pigs?" Killua smirked as he ran at Asa's side. Asa playfully jabbed Killua in the ribs. "Nope." Asa looked behind him at the pigs. "I just don't feel like going againt dozens of pigs that want me for dinner."

Asa softly giggled when they neared the other applicants. The applicants were confused at first but quickly started running when they noticed the angry pigs. "There they go..." Asa watched as s couple of slow applicants were knocked to the sky by the angry pigs.

"These pigs are crazy!" Leorio shrieked. "Eh? Didn't you say this would be easier than the First Phase?" Asa innocently smiled at the dark look the older male was now giving him. Asa looked back at the pigs before looking at his companions. "I'll lead one away, you guys should lead some away for yourselves too." Asa waved before slowing down his pace and darted to the side. He grinned when he saw that one of the pigs broke off from the others to follow him.

Asa skidded to a stop and turned towards the charging pig. He smirked and raised a hand, watching as his nails turned into deadly claws. When the pig was close enough he jumped up and slashed at the large snout. He hummed happily as rivers of blood drifted down the pig's pale snout. The pig shrieked in pain and rage and jerked its head up. Asa grunted as he was sent up in the air.

"Could their foreheads be their weak points?" Asa perked up at Killua's voice and saw him standing near Kurapika who had his wooden swords out. Leorio was busy running from an angry pig. "So, the pigs evolved large, strong noses in order to protect their soft foreheads." Leave it to Kurapika to break down an animal's evolution.

Asa grinned and looked down at the pig he was rapidly approaching from falling from the sky. Asa angled his body and held his clawed hand out and gleefully laughed when his claws sunk into the pig's forehead with ease. He gracefully jumped down to the ground and sheathed his claws as the pig rolled over, dead. He grimaced as he looked at the blood dripping down his fingers and wiped his hand on the green grass. Animal blood didn't taste or smell good.

"Killua! Gon! Did you finish?" Asa called out as he nudged the dead pig with his foot. "Yes! Did you?" He heard Gon call back. "Yup! I'll meet you at the park!" Asa turned back to the large pig and frowned. He could carry it there but he'll have to get a good grip. He groaned and rubbed his hands together.

_Right, let's do this._

xxxxx

Asa sighed in relief when he finally got the dead pig over the fire pit. He stretched and heard some pops. "Alright, how do I start the fire...?" He murmured as he circled his cook station's fire pit. He glanced towards where the examiners were seated and winced when he saw that Menchi was failing every single applicant. He hadn't tried to cook in a very long time since he couldn't eat human food.

"Hope I still know what I'm doing..." Asa muttered as he finally found the dial to turn the fire on. He stared at the dial with a blank look and frowned. There was no writing whatsoever around the black dial. _Which way do I turn it?_ He hesitantly reached out and turned the dial all the way to the right.

_**Kaboom.** _

Asa coughed and hacked as he waved the smoke away. He looked at his pig and saw that it was completely black. "Great..." He pouted as he crossed his arms. "Failed before even making it to the examiners..." Asa ran a hand through his dark purple locks and looked around for any signs of Gon or Killua.

He didn't get much time to look since he froze at what Menchi said. "We're finished here!" Menchi had an irritated look on her face as she declared that no one passed the Second Phase. _She can't fail everyone, right?_ He frowned and weaved through the angry participants looking for his companions.

"Zero people passed?"

"Are you serious?"

"Does she really mean it?"

"The exam is over?"

Asa smiled when he caught sight of Killua and Gon. He giggled softly when he saw that Gon was wearing an apron. "Doesn't suit him," He muttered with an amused glint in his red eyes. He swiftly weaved through the crowd and saw that Killua hadn't noticed him yet. He smiled deviously as he crept up on the unsuspecting silver haired boy.

Or at least, he _thought_ Killua didn't notice him.

"Asa, I saw your pig explode." Killua said without even turning around. Asa froze before pouting. "Not my fault," he mumbled as he took a few steps closer to stand at Killua's side. "I haven't cooked in years." Killua shook his head, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"This isn't funny!" Asa blinked at the loud voice and turned around to find its source. A loud crashing noise was heard as the fat man, the wrestler, destroyed his cook station thanks to his temper. "I won't accept it... I absolutely refuse to accept this!" #255 angrily glared at Menchi who returned his glare with one of her own.

"In the end, you've still failed." Menchi placed her hands on her hips.

"Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to-"

"I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious..." Menchi cut the fat man off. "None of you made anything remotely delicious. You all did almost the same thing. There was no effort made..." Menchi shook her head, frowning. "Just when I thought someone actually tried, they only changed the appearance. One of you even ruined the pork just by turning the fire on!"

Asa sheepishly smiled.

"No one attempted to emphasize the flavor. I'm positive that none of you took cooking seriously!" Menchi glared at the applicants, daring for them to question her. The ninja didn't get the hint.

"Pork dishes are all the same..."

Menchi was suddenly in front of the ninja and grabbed him by his red scarf. _That's a scarf, right?_ Asa winced at the growing volume of the teal haired woman's voice. "Just say that once more. Any more crap from you, and I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out!" Asa grimaced and shoved that mental image out of his mind. "Don't you mess with me! I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig! Hey! What did you just say? Why don't you repeat it to my face?!"

Menchi let go of the cowering ninja and made her way back to her seat. She crossed her legs as she sat down and closed her emerald eyes. "In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new." She resumed her lecture only to be interrupted by #255 again. "Shut up! I'm not trying to become a cook or a gourmet..." He pointed his finger at her. "I want to be a Hunter!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Some applicants cheered, backing the fat man up.

"My goal is to become a Black List Hunter. I refuse to met a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"

"Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an examiner..." Menchi dismissively said. "Better luck next year?"

That seemed to be the last straw for the fat man. Asa tilted his head as the fat man's face flushed red from anger. "Why, you..." The fat man growled before lunging at Menchi. "Don't mock me!" Asa scoffed and shook his head. _Moron, attacking our examiner won't change a thing._ Asa tensed at the sudden rise in a familiar someone's bloodlust. Red eyes darted to find Hisoka with a playing card trapped between his index and middle finger with a sly smile. He looked back at the examiners just in time to see Buhara slam his hand into the fat man sending him flying into the wall's tower across the courtyard.

"Buhara, don't interfere." Asa glanced back at the examiners and saw a bunch of sharp kitchen knives clasped tightly in Menchi's hands. _Where did she store those?_ "Well... If I hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?" Buhara looked down at his fellow examiner.

"Probably." Menchi stood up from her seat and walked down the stairs. "Let me clarify this..." Her heels made clicking sounds as they connected with the stone stairs. "We frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients." Asa stared in awe at Menchi when she started swiftly juggling the sharp knives. "Every Hunter knows some form of martial art. You lack focus and the willingness to experiment." She caught all the knives in one hand and pointed the tips of the blades at the applicants. "That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!"

 _That seems logical_ , Asa thought with a small frown. He looked up at the sky when the sound of an airship reached his ears. "What are you looking at Asa?" Asa briefly glanced at Gon before looking back up at the sky. "Airship." He couldn't believe no one else noticed the large airship coming closer. He narrowed his eyes at the logo on the airship's side. _The Hunters Association?_

"That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant." Everyone looked up in shock at the voice on a speaker.

"That's the symbol of the Hunters Association!" An applicant pointed out rather loudly. "Is it someone from the Selection Committee?"

Asa's eyes widened when he saw a figure drop down from the airship at an alarming speed. He covered his mouth and nose with his hand as the figure landed in the middle of the path a couple meters in front of Menchi. Dust rose up and swirled around from the impact causing a lot of people to cough. The sound of clogs reached his ears as he waved the dust away from his face.

When the dust cleared Asa could see that the figure was an old man wearing a Japanese outfit. He narrowed his eyes at the crater the old man made and watched as he approached Menchi, who seemed to stand up straighter in the elder's presence. _Powerful._ That was the only word he could find to describe the elder. Something about the old man just _screamed_ incredible power.

"Wh-Who's that geezer?" The same applicant who pointed out the symbol stuttered.

"The Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exam..." Menchi took a few steps closer but maintained a respected distance from the elder. "Chairman Netero."

"Well, I work behind the scenes." Netero sounded relaxed, like he didn't just create a crater from falling from the sky. "I only take action when there's an issue, like now." Asa tilted his head at this. _Are we going to retake Phase Two?_ "So, Menchi-kun..."

"Yes, sir."

"You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?" Asa noticed that the Chairman's gaze lowered for a brief second. He followed the elder's gaze and flushed when he saw that the old man was staring at Menchi's breasts. He swiftly averted his gaze, ignoring the questioning look he got from Killua.

"No, sir..." Menchi started to sound ashamed. "I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters." Asa glanced at the fallen fat man before looking back at the teal haired woman. "And I made the exam harder than necessary."

"In other words, you're aware that this exam was unacceptable."

"Yes, sir. When cooking is involved, I lose control." Understandable since it is her profession. "I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I will resign as examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!"

"But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice."

"I apologize..."

"Very well. How about this?" Netero held up one finger. "I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose." Menchi gasped in surprise. "Is that acceptable? I'm certain that will help the applicants to accept the results." Menchi smirked, an idea most likely already forming in her mind.

"That's true... Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs!" Menchi proudly smiled. "Boiled eggs?" An applicant repeated. Menchi ignored the whispers of the applicants and pointed up at the airship above them. "Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?"

"Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're doing. Certainly, I can."

Asa softly groaned. He hated airships, the idea of traveling in the sky just always freaked him out. The possibility of crashing seemed very high to him. "Lovely," he grumbled as he buried himself deeper into his cloak.

xxxxx

Asa warily looked over the edge of the ravine they were standing on. Well, everyone else was standing. Gon, Killua, and Asa were sitting next to the edge. The mountain's name was very literal, it was split right down the middle. "Be careful," he nudged Gon a bit back when he deemed that the spiky haired boy was leaning too far over the edge. He glanced over at Killua who was also peering over the edge. "If you fall in I'm not going to save you." He deadpanned.

Killua rolled his eyes and slyly smiled. "Then you shouldn't expect me to catch you, Asa." Asa playfully rolled his eyes right as Menchi, who was standing next to them, started speaking. "Now, everyone... Look down there." Asa cautiously peeked over the edge and blinked at what he saw. "Webs?" There were large webs in the ravine.

"A Spider Eagle's web."

"They build webs down there?" Gon's gaze curiously darted between the various webs. A rush of wind blew past them causing the fat man to fall back in shock. "Look below the web." Menchi instructed. Asa kept a firm grip on his hood as he looked past the webs. Dangling in a sack of web were eggs. There were a lot of egg sacks tied to the webs above it. "Those are.." Gon started saying before Menchi cut him off.

"Those are Spider Eagle eggs."

"Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines," Netero explained. "to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain." Netero took a few steps closer to everyone since he was in the way back. "The eggs are also known as dream eggs." _Weird names_ , he thought as he examined the white eggs.

"W-Wait a minute..." The fat man started protesting. "You don't mean we..."

"I sure do." Menchi answered the fat man's unasked question.

"What?"

Menchi stepped closer to the edge before jumping off. Asa gaped in shock as the teal haired woman gracefully angled her body for more speed. His eyes widened as Menchi grabbed onto a string of web and spun around it before stilling. Some examinees shrieked in surprise at what their examiner did so casually.

"Even if she can grab some eggs, how will she climb back up?" Asa glanced at Leorio before looking back down at Menchi. _Good question._ All he really knew was that the woman had some knives, nothing that could help her climb back up the ravine. Asa slowly blinked when a soft breeze brushed past him from below.

"Oh," his lips curved upward into a small smile. "That's how."

"How what?" Gon asked, not really getting it. "Watch." Asa softly giggled at Gon's pout before looking back down just in time to see Menchi let go of the web. He watched as Menchi grabbed an egg on her way down before disappearing into the fog below. "Hey... She jumped down!" Leorio shrieked. "Is she trying to kill herself?"

"No, she's not." Kurapika said, having the same conclusion as Asa.

A strong gust of wind blew past them carrying Menchi with it. "That looks fun..." Killua said in wonder as Menchi rode the wind. "This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web." Netero smiled. The examiner safely stepped back onto solid ground and held her egg up in front of her. "There. Now I just need to boil the egg."

"Y-You must be joking." #255 loudly protested, obviously afraid. "No reasonable person would jump down there..."

"I've been waiting for this!" Gon cheered before jumping off, quickly followed by Kurapika and Leorio. "Come on!" Asa cheered with Gon and grabbed Killua's hand, pulling the other boy with him as he jumped off the cliff. "Asaaaaaaa!" Killua protested with a grin on his face as they fell down the ravine. Asa let go of the taller boy's hand to grab onto the web, securing a spot between Gon and Killua. He pouted when he realized that his hood fell off during their fall.

"Let's go!" Leorio loosened his grip, ready to drop down. "Not yet." Gon quickly said, stopping the older male from letting go. "Why not?" Leorio questioned. "It's not ready." Asa responded, watching as another applicant dropped down to grab an egg. _He's doomed._

"What do you mean 'not ready'?" Leorio's gaze followed the applicant right as he grabbed an egg. "There's no wind." Killua said. "That big gust of wind doesn't happen all the time." Asa chirped as he watched as the man in free fall. The man seemed to realize the same thing because he started screaming as he disappeared into the fog. "When's the next one?" Leorio impatiently asked.

"Wait." Everyone looked towards the spiky haired boy who closed his eyes, concentrating. Asa flinched when the web suddenly dropped down a few centimeters. "What?" Leorio said in surprise. "The web won't hold us all!" Kurapika's statement caused panic. "Gon, not yet?" Killua turned his gaze towards the spiky haired boy who didn't respond. Asa glanced up when he heard a scream and saw another applicant lose his grip on the web and start falling.

Asa flinched in surprise when the applicant desperately grabbed his cloak causing him to lose his own grip. Asa squeaked in surprise as he started falling and winced when someone caught him by his wrist. He looked up to see that Killua was only using one hand to hold onto the web. Asa glanced down at the man who was tightly gripping his cloak and frowned. Without any hesitation he kicked the man's arm and heard a loud snap. The man screamed as he lost his grip on the light purple fabric and fell to his death.

"Thanks Killua." Asa looked up at Killua who nodded. "Can't let you drop out of the Exam so easily." Asa playfully rolled his eyes at the smirk on the other boy's face. Asa shook his head as a couple of impatient examinees let go of the web only to fall to their deaths. "It's gonna snap!" Leorio said after the web dropped another couple of centimeters.

"Now!" Gon snapped his eyes open and let go of the web. Asa squeaked at the sudden shout and watched as everyone dropped from the web. Killua let go of his wrist since it was safe to drop down now. Asa grinned when he managed to grab an egg from its nest and hugged it to his chest.

Asa laughed victoriously as the wind carried him and his companions back up to the edge of the ravine. He gracefully landed on the rock and looked down at the egg he held. _Now, all we got to do is boil our eggs and pass!_

xxxxx

Asa blankly stared at the now boiled egg he held in his hands. _What do I do with this?_ Everyone else were already eating their eggs with looks of bliss on their faces. Sadly, he can't eat human food so he'll just have to pawn the egg off on somebody else.

"I can see why they're called dream eggs." Kurapika sighed in bliss as he took another bite of his egg. Asa looked around him with a frown. "Aren't you going to eat that?" Killua asked as he took another bite of his egg. "No, I can't eat it." Asa looked towards the silver haired boy and noticed that he was almost done with his dream egg.

"Would you like it? As thanks for saving me from falling to my... _death_." He wouldn't have actually died. He could've changed into a bat once he was in the fog or he could've just kept on falling. He might have been critically injured but he would've survived. "Sure!" Killua said and snatched the egg from his hands. Asa slowly blinked before smiling in amusement as the taller boy started to devour his second dream egg.

"This has got to be the first time we saw you with your hood down." Asa turned towards Kurapika with a puzzled look. He reached up to feel for his hood only to realize that it was still down. Oh. "Your earrings and choker are beautiful." Asa flushed at the compliment from the blonde teen and delicately brushed a pale finger against his red rose earrings. His choker was black with a red rose pinned to the front which matched his red rose earrings. "Thanks, it was a gift."

"Asa! There's a leaf in your hair!" Killua suddenly said as he got in front of him, blocking his view of Leorio and Kurapika. "Really?" Asa frowned as he reached up and ran his hand through his dark purple hair. He pulled out a medium sized leaf and let it drift to the ground. "Weird, how long was that in my hair...?" He muttered. Killua shrugged as he popped the last of the dream egg into his mouth.

"Earrings?" Asa turned around to see Go staring at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry Asa!" Asa tilted his head at Gon's sudden apology. "I didn't know you were a girl!" Everyone froze. Asa stared at Gon blankly for a couple seconds before his cheeks flushed a deep red.

_W-What?!_

"W-Why do you think I'm a g-girl?!" Asa stuttered as his red eyes widened. "Mito-san said that girls wear earrings!" Gon smiled innocently. Killua started laughing loudly as he held his stomach, tears forming at the edges of his blue eyes. "I'm a _boy_ Gon," Asa glared at the laughing boy next to him before smiling mischievously. "Killua knows this better than anyone else."

Killua coughed and spluttered with pink cheeks before glaring at him. Asa looked away with a small smile which he hid behind his hand. "Boys can wear earrings too Gon." Kurapika chuckled. Gon's mouth formed an 'o' before nodding. "Sorry Asa." Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's fine, everyone makes mistakes."

"It doesn't really help that you look so girly anyway." Asa glared at the smirking boy next to him. He lunged for the silver haired boy only to curse when Killua dodged him. Killua took off running while laughing victoriously. Asa narrowed his eyes and ran after Killua.

"Get back here!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So this is the second chapter so I hope you enjoy it even though it's probably not very good. And before I forget I rated this story M because then I won't have to worry about what I write cause if I rated it as T it probably would've stressed me out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.

Asa boredly looked out the one of the many windows of the chairman's airship. The sky had turned a dark color and stars were shining brightly among the clouds. He tugged on his hood to make sure the shadows covered his red eyes before directing his attention back to the chairman.

After his little game of tag with Killua the chairman had everyone board the ship and directed them all to a large room with windows as walls. The room was very bare so everyone had to stand since there was no where to sit.

"Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-two remaining applicants." Netero said. He was standing at the front of the room with the bean thing that gave everyone their numbered badges. "I am Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."

"I am his secretary, Beans." The green bean in the black suit said.

"Originally, I'd planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but as I'm already here..." Netero swept his gaze across the room. "I'm loving this tension in the air! So I think I'll stick around for the rest of the trip."

Asa tapped Killua's shoulder when he saw the other boy yawn. "Pay attention, he might say something important." Killua shrugged and looked away with a bored glint in his eyes. Asa shook his head at the boy's actions and turned back towards the chairman who was chuckling.

"We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at 8 AM." Beans spoke up. "You'll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You are also welcome to get some rest." Asa sighed in relief at that. He hadn't slept in a couple days since he was busy preparing for the Hunter Exam. He could go at least eight days without sleep but he didn't want to push his limits. There was no telling what the Exam will throw at them.

"In other words, you're free to do as you please until you are contacted." Beans smiled politely.

"Okay, Gon, Asa! Let's explore the airship!" Killua said excitedly. Asa pouted a bit at this. _I guess I won't get much sleep tonight after all._ "Yeah!" Gon nodded with a grin. "I'll blame you if we get lost." Asa teased as he followed Killua and Gon out of the room. He heard Leorio complain about how much energy they had before the door closed behind him.

"I won't get us lost!" Killua huffed. "I have a great sense of direction!"

"Really? Wow, Killua is amazing!" Asa giggled at the blush that spread on Killua's cheeks from Gon's words. "G-Gon!" Killua protested as he hurried down the hallway away from them. Asa shook his head with a smile and quickened his pace with Gon to catch up to the silver haired boy.

xxxxx

"Hey, there! Kids! Stay out of the kitchen! Go eat in the dining hall!" Asa laughed as he watched the cook kick Gon and Killua out of the kitchen. Both boys had a drumstick from their venture into the cook's domain. Asa didn't go with them because he didn't desire any food and didn't feel like forcing himself to stomach something so they wouldn't be suspicious.

"I see you two got quite the bounty from the kitchen." Asa walked over to them and helped pull them back to their feet. "Are you sure you're not hungry Asa?" Gon asked. "I'm fine Gon, I'll eat later." Asa said reassuringly. "You sure? Killua got you-"

Killua quickly slapped a hand across Gon's mouth so his words became muffled. Asa raised an eyebrow as he looked towards Killua. That's when he noticed that Killua had two drumsticks in his hand. _He must have got one for me._ "You won't be able to keep up with us if you skip dinner," Killua shoved the extra drumstick into his hands.

Asa sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to say no now. Asa trailed behind them as they happily munched on the meat that they stole. He frowned as he looked at the drumstick he now held and sighed. He took a bite out of the meat and resisted the urge to spit it out.

It tasted like ash and dust.

 _This will make my thirst rise even more_ , he glumly thought as he took another bite of his 'dinner'. "Wow, awesome!" Asa looked up as Killua placed his hands on one of the windows on their right. "Look, Gon, Asa!" Curious, Asa went to Killua's side and peeked out the window while Gon went to Killua's left. Asa's eyes widened in wonder as he stared at all of the beautiful lights that were scattered on the ground beneath the airship. "That's beautiful," he breathlessly murmured as he leaned against the counter.

"Whoa! It's like the ground is covered in jewels!" Gon described the lights much better than he did. "Yeah!" Killua agreed as both boys leaned closer to the window. Asa walked around the boys and took a seat on the bench that was next to them. The Exam had him on his feet all day so his legs were a bit sore.

"Hey, I was wondering..." Gon broke the silence that they fell into as they examined the beautiful sight. Asa placed the bone on the counter having finished his 'dinner' as fast as possible. He grimaced a bit at the ashy taste that was left in his mouth. He would have to drink soon to get that dry taste out of his mouth. "Where are your mom and dad?"

Asa blinked in surprise and tilted his head upward to look at both of the boys. He knew that Gon was addressing Killua since those amber orbs were focused on the silver haired boy. "Hmm... They're alive. Probably." Killua impassively said. "Probably?" Asa repeated, puzzled. "Is there a reason why they wouldn't be alive?"

"They're assassins." Killua stated. Asa nodded, understanding now why Killua seemed dangerous and deadly when they first met. "That's cool." He brushed a finger against his choker absently. "Huh? Both of them?" Gon turned his head to look at Killua. Their reaction obviously wasn't what the taller boy was expecting since he looked surprised before laughing.

"That's your first reaction?" Killua laughed. "You two really are a riot!" Asa pouted as he turned away from the taller boy. "Huh?" Gon blinked, confused. Killua laughed quietly as he took a seat next to Asa on the bench, tossing the bone on the counter. Gon hurried and sat down on Asa's other side and placed his bone on the counter too.

"You both are the only people who's ever responded seriously." Killua rested his head on his hand with an amused smile. "It should be obvious that you're telling the truth." Asa poked Killua's uncovered cheek with a smile.

"What makes you think that?" Killua swatted his hand away. "Your eyes don't lie." Asa drew his hand back. "My eyes?" Killua repeated, not expecting that reply. "Oh! Mito-san said that eyes are the windows to the soul!" Gon drew their attention. "That is only true to a select few Gon." Asa crossed his arms and looked away. "Eh? Why is that?" Gon questioned.

"There are some things that shouldn't be brought into the light." Asa muttered as he stared at his reflection in the window. He never did like the color of his eyes. They always reminded him of the only substance he could drink. "That's weird..." Killua sighed. "People only like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious."

"That can't be true, we like you just fine." Asa grinned while Gon nodded in agreement. "Stop saying such embarrassing things Asa!" Killua punched him in the shoulder, flustered. Asa whined and rubbed the spot where Killua punched him with a pout. "Since your parents are assassins does that mean...?" Asa trailed off.

"I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins." Killua said while looking out the window. His chin was resting on the palm of his hand and the tip of his index finger was brushing against the cold glass. "And my family has really high hopes for me..."

 _High hopes, huh?_ Suddenly, the scar on his neck that was hidden by his choker started to ache.

"But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?" Asa swallowed back the lump in his throat. He wanted to tear his gaze away from the silver haired boy but he found that he couldn't look away. "When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears streaming down her face, as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin. Horrible parents, right? It's natural their kid would go bad. We ended up fighting. So I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side, and ran away from home." Killua placed a hand on his chin as he grinned. "I'm sure they're out for blood now. But if they find me, I'll send them packing. When I become a Hunter, I'll start by capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties..."

Asa smiled slightly at the dreamy expression Killua wore. He could practically imagine sparkles surrounding the taller boy as he spoke of capturing his family of assassins. "You'll have to train a lot to take your family down then." Asa pointed out, erasing the dreamy look on Killua's face in the process. "Ah, I guess so." The silver haired boy shrugged like it was no big deal. "What about you, Asa?" Asa blinked as Killua turned towards him.

"What?"

"Your family, where are they?"

Asa flinched. He tugged on his hood as he looked away from the boys. He never did like discussing his family, but it was only fair he told them since they already talked about their families. "I'm the only child," he began. "I guess you could say that the way my parents raised me would be similar to how Killua was raised since his family are assassins." Killua frowned at that. "They were killed by a traveler."

"I'm sorry..." Gon said with saddened eyes. "Don't be," Asa shook his head. "In a way I'm glad they're dead. If that man didn't kill them I probably would've killed them eventually." Asa traced the rose on his choker for a few moments before turning back towards Gon and Killua with a smile. "That was years ago-"

Asa jumped to his feet when intense bloodlust hit them. Killua and Gon noticed it too and sprung to their feet. They all looked to their left at the entrance to the other hallway. No one was there. He sniffed the air and Netero's scent hung heavily in the air where he felt the bloodlust.

"Something wrong?" Asa turned around and saw the chairman walking calmly towards them. Asa narrowed his eyes at the elder and warily examined him. "Ah, Netero-san..." Gon pointed towards the entrance way to the other hall. "Did you see anyone coming from that side."

_Seems like Gon doesn't realize it was Netero._

"No." Netero lightly shook his head. Asa glanced towards Killua and saw that the boy was glaring at the elder. _At least Killua noticed._ Asa looked back towards the elder and crossed his arms. "You're pretty fast for an old man." Killua said, unconvinced by the old man's innocent expression. "That little trick? I barely moved." Netero smiled, not at all fazed by the silver haired boy's glare.

Gon glanced between the two males, confused by the tension in the air. "You purposely grabbed our attention," Asa placed his hands on his hips as he coldly stared at the chairman. "So what do you want from us?"

"You don't have to do anything until the last phase, right?" Killua narrowed his eyes cautiously. "No need to be so unkind." Netero wasn't fazed in the slightest at the hostile atmosphere around him. "I got bored, and was looking for some companions. By the way, I meant to ask the three of you..." Netero glanced between the three boys. "Any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?"

"Uh-huh! It's fun! And there haven't been any of the written exams I was dreading." Asa relaxed a little at Gon's cheerful voice. "I'm disappointed... I expected the exam to be far more difficult." Asa snickered quietly. _Of course, Killua is still bored with the Exam._ "I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?"

"Well, now... I wouldn't know about that." Netero said, not offended by what Killua said about the Exam being boring. "What are your thoughts, Asa?" Asa frowned when Netero's gaze landed on him. He couldn't recall ever telling the chairman his name. _Eh, he's the chairman so he probably knows the name of every applicant._

"I'm looking forward to the next phase, I have a feeling that it will be more interesting than the last two phases." Asa glanced at Killua before looking back at Netero. Killua shook his head and turned around. "Let's go, Gon, Asa!" He started walking down the hallway. Asa took a few steps after Killua before Netero's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Now wait just a moment." Killua stopped walking but didn't turn around. "Would you care to play a game with me?" Killua slowly turned his head to glare at Netero out of the corner of his eyes. "A game?" Gon curiously asked.

"If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters!" Asa blinked in shock before narrowing his eyes at the elder. He had no doubt that what the elder said was possible since he _is_ the chairman, but he somehow got the feeling that the old man was lying. "Really? I'll play!" Gon eagerly agreed to the game.

Killua fully turned around and gazed coldly at the elder. "How about it, eh?" Netero smiled mischievously. Asa glanced at the silver haired boy and sighed. "Fine, we'll play your game." Netero smile grew, pleased by his answer.

"Follow me."

xxxxx

Asa looked around the large gym Netero led them to. It was bare with light blue padding on the walls. He turned his attention back on the chairman, who he saw had discarded his white robe, when the elder started bouncing a yellow ball.

"Now, I'll go over the rules of the game." Netero balanced the ball on one finger. "If you can take this ball from me, before the airship reaches its destination, you win." Asa glanced towards the clock with a small frown. "I believe that we're scheduled for an 8 AM arrival? Well, that still gives you nine hours." Asa huffed and crossed his arms. _Awfully generous of him to give us so much time unless he doesn't believe we'll be able to take the ball from him._

"You're free to attack me however you'd like. I won't touch you." Asa tugged on his hood uneasily. The old man was either cocky about his abilities or he honestly believed they were no match for him. "Huh? That's too easy. You can't call that a game." Gon protested.

"Why not give it a try first?" Netero bounced the ball on his index finger. "We just have to take the ball?" Killua eyed the ball. "Yeah." Netero confirmed. "Then I'll go first." Asa grabbed Killua's sleeve, preventing the taller boy from walking off. "Be careful." Asa warned as he released Killua's sleeve.

"I'll be fine." Killua smirked as he gave him a thumbs up. Asa shook his head with a smile and watched as Killua slowly started walking, circling the old man. He could see Killua glare at the chairman, obviously irritated at the old man's attitude. He blinked when the sound of his companion's footsteps suddenly stopped even though Killua was still walking. He gasped in surprise as multiple copies of Killua appeared and were all walking in a line around Netero.

"Asa, do you see many Killuas too?" Gon's eyes widened as he stared at the many Killuas circling the elder. "I do." Asa looked towards the chairman and took a step back when his eyes suddenly met Netero's.

_'This is an assassination technique. Rhythm Echo... Practitioners use a certain rhythm to create after-images, confusing the enemy.'_

That was all he managed to hear before Netero's gaze drifted away to look at one of the many Killuas. He gulped and pulled his hood down even more to cover his eyes. The chairman was a Hunter, he didn't know if he knew of his kind's existence. If Netero did know that he wasn't human then it was possible he even let him read his mind as a test. He might have just blown his cover.

Sudden movement made Asa look back up. Killua had made his move. Killua's copies disappeared as the silver haired boy lunged for the ball. Netero stepped back, effortlessly dodging the boy. This continued for a while. Killua lunging for the ball only for the old man to dodge the assassin with grace. Asa could tell that his companion was getting even more irritated with every failed attempt to get the ball. He narrowed his eyes and unconsciously tugged his hood.

_This speed Netero has, it's hard to believe he's old._

"What? That's it?" Netero taunted when Killua stopped, balancing the ball on his nose like a seal. Asa could see Killua's glare harden at the taunt. Killua lunged forward again, however he wasn't aiming for the ball this time. Asa winced when Killua's leg made contact with Netero's leg. _He didn't hold back at all._ "Ouch... Right on his pivot leg!" Gon winced too. Asa waited for the sound of shattering bones, but nothing came. The smirk on Killua's face fell to be replaced by a pained expression.

"Ow!" Killua started hopping around as he held onto his leg in pain. After a few moments Killua stopped hopping around but still held onto his leg. "Killua! Tag! Tag! It's my turn!" Gon waved his hand up in the air. Killua turned around and slightly limped towards them. Killua high fived the excited boy and sat down next to the door. Asa sat next to the assassin as Gon stretched, preparing for his turn.

"Is your leg alright, Killua?" Asa asked as he looked Killua over for any bruises. "I'm fine, it just caught me by surprise." Killua grumbled as he waved away Asa's concern. Knowing that the boy was still irritated by the chairman Asa backed off and turned his attention back towards Gon and Netero. It seemed like Gon was done stretching since he was now staring at Netero with determination.

Asa watched as Gon took off with a very fast step, heading straight for the elder. Asa smiled when the chairman dropped his guard slightly only to stare in surprise when Gon jumped upward. Asa face-palmed when the spiky haired boy bumped his head on the ceiling. Gon rolled around on the ground while holding his head in pain. "Idiot! We know that you can jump really high!" Killua yelled. "Try and control how much force you put into your jump, Gon!" Asa called out. "For a moment, the old man relaxed his guard!" Killua crossed his arms, still irritated by Netero.

Gon stood up with a sheepish smile as he held a hand behind his head. "I messed up there." Gon said as he started circling the elder. Asa leaned his head back against the wall as he watched as Gon made more attempts to get the ball out of Netero's hands. As the minutes passed by with still no success Asa decided that it was time to end Gon's turn.

"Gon! You should rest now," Asa called out as he stood up. "It's my turn." Gon ran back over to them and held up his hand. Asa smiled and high fived the boy before walking past him. He could feel Netero's gaze on him as he started circling the elder. Asa tightened the string on his cloak to make sure it wouldn't fall off during his turn.

Asa suddenly lunged for the ball and gritted his teeth when the elder dodged him. Faster. Asa spun around and lunged for the ball while adding many feints in his attacks, but the old man dodged every single attempt. _Now I know why Killua got so frustrated._ Asa swung his leg up, attending to kick the elder in the arm, and hissed when he was dodged once more. Asa jumped back a distance and stood still, examining the elder for any weaknesses.

"Already done? No ordinary human can keep up with me." Asa froze at what Netero said.

_'No ordinary human can keep up with me.'_

_Dammit, he knows!_

Asa hissed softly and looked away from the elder. "Asa, you can do it!" Asa glanced back at the two boys when he heard Gon cheer before looking back at Netero. "Can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. He reached up and took his cloak off, throwing the light purple cloak at Killua and Gon. "Oh? Getting serious?" Netero casually smiled. He didn't think the chairman would mention that he wasn't human, but he couldn't take the chance. He didn't want his new friends to leave him because of what he is.

"You said we could attack however we wanted, right?" Asa examined his nails as he waited for Netero's response. "That's right." Netero confirmed. Asa smiled as he turned his nails into claws. He could hear Gon gasp at the sight of his claws but he didn't focus on that.

Asa lunged forward, claws extended, and aimed for the elder's arm. He managed to scratch Netero before he was dodged. Asa flicked the droplets of blood from his claws as he faced Netero. The scratches on Netero's arm was small and wouldn't hinder the elder at all. Asa charged forward again and swiped many times, even feinting a couple to confuse the elder.

He wasn't able to scratch Netero again.

Asa slid along the floor, claws digging into the hard wood. He growled in frustration as he yanked his claws out of the floor, examining the deep claw marks he left in his wake. "That'll be expensive to replace." Netero commented.

Asa lunged forward again.

xxxxx

Asa slightly panted as he crossed his arms. He was currently standing next to a sweaty Gon as they watched Killua attempt to get the ball. They've been switching turns for a couple hours now and they _still_ didn't even _touch_ the ball. Killua had shed his white outer shirt while Gon had taken off his green jacket. Asa had already took off his cloak before them to leave him in only his black sleeveless shirt and gray pants.

Asa sighed when Killua bumped his nose against Netero in another attempt to get the ball. _At this rate both Killua and Gon will leave with bruises._ He doesn't bruise easily so he had nothing to worry about. Asa had to admit he was a bit surprised that Netero had yet to trip over one of the many claw marks that littered the floor.

"You boys aren't getting anywhere." Netero looked down at Killua who had a hand over his face in pain. "Why not attack simultaneously?" That was both a good and bad idea. Good because they had a better chance at getting the ball away from the old man and bad because they could run into each other since they weren't used to teamwork.

"Why, you..." Killua lunged at the elder, his nose red from their collision.

"Okay... I'll get you this time!" Gon charged forward. "Gon-" Asa tried to stop the other boy in vain since he kept on charging at the elder. He winced when Gon face-planted into the wood due to his effort. Asa jumped forward, his claws out, and swiped at the elder. Asa hissed when the elder dodged him and yelped when he saw that Killua was in front of him. He hurriedly retracted his claws right before they crashed into each other.

"Sorry!" Asa apologized as he got off the taller boy. He helped his companion up and they both joined Gon to grab the ball. Their efforts continued in vain with Netero dodging every single attempt. Asa briefly looked back at the boys when they bumped their heads together. He sighed before focusing on the elder, his claws back out.

Asa saw Gon jump forward out of the corner of his eyes and moved a bit to the side to not get in the boy's way. He quickened his speed to try and keep the elder occupied so Gon would have a shot at whatever he was planning. "Your attacks are getting boring." Asa growled at the taunt and lunged forward again only to face-plant into the wood, his claws digging into the floor.

He tried to get up but found that he couldn't. _My claws are stuck?!_ He hissed softly as he got on his knees and tried to pull his claws free from the wood. They must have dug into the floor at quite the angle to get stuck like this. "A chance!" Asa heard Killua shout. He craned his neck to look behind him and saw Netero kick the ball away from Killua.

Asa chuckled when he saw Gon's shoe fly through the air to kick the ball out of Netero's reach again. "You and your little tricks!" Netero shouted, annoyed. Killua and Gon darted past the elder and reached out for the yellow ball. "It's mine!" Both boys yelled. Asa turned back around and pulled again. He groaned when his claws didn't even budge an inch from the hard wood.

_Why am I now having trouble with the wood?! My claws didn't get stuck before when I left those other marks in the floor._

His claws cut through the floor just fine before. He tensed when he saw Gon and Killua fly past him and landed on the ground a couple feet in front of him. He turned his head and saw that Netero had somehow managed to get the ball back from the boys. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a smoking spot on the floor near where he last saw Netero.

Asa looked back at the boys and saw that Killua was glaring even more angrily at the elder. "I commend you on your efforts." Netero said. "You're amazing, Netero-san! Really amazing!" Gon grinned. Asa saw that Killua was looking at the smoking spot too and frowned. Killua slowly stood up and said, "Forget it... I give up. I lose!" Asa blinked in shock at that. The assassin didn't seem like the type to give up.

Killua walked back towards the door to grab his shirt. "Why? We still have time." Gon stood up and pointed towards the clock. "And just now, we came really close."

"Jeez. You really have no clue, do you?" Killua swung his white shirt over his shoulder. "The old man has barely used his right hand and his left leg." Asa looked back towards Netero in surprise. Now that he thought about it Killua was right. Netero really did hardly use his right hand and left leg. "But we're still powerless against him. We could chase him around for a year, and never take the ball from him."

"Oh, you figured it out? And here, I thought I'd fooled you." Netero mischievously smiled. "So that's what he was doing." Gon stared at the elder with wide eyes. "You really know how to piss me off, old man." Killua started walking out the door. "Let's go, Gon, Asa!"

Asa frowned and looked back down at his hands. He yanked again and winced when he heard something crack. "Oh, I'm gonna play a little longer." Asa looked back up at Gon in confusion. _Didn't he hear what Killua said?_ "Huh? Didn't you hear what I said?!" Killua ran back into the room. "It's useless! You won't be able to take the ball from him!"

"Yeah! I don't care about the ball." Killua looked surprised at Gon's words. "We've only used up half of the time limit. I'm gonna make Netero-san use his right hand before the time runs out." Typical Gon. Asa looked back down at his hands with a smile as he tried to free his claws again. "I see..." Killua said, dumbfounded. "Yeah, I got it. Good luck. I'm getting some sleep. Asa, you coming?"

"I'll be there in a while," Asa sheepishly smiled. Killua only sighed and nodded before leaving the room, the door closing behind him. "Hey, Gon," Asa looked at his friend. "Can you help me? I'm stuck."

"Stuck?" Gon repeated as he walked over to Asa's side. "Yup, my claws are stuck." Asa nodded with a frown. Gon tilted his head but grabbed Asa by his wrists anyway. Both boys pulled and Asa grinned when he felt his claws coming free. Asa grinned when his claws popped out of the wood, but frowned when he saw a crack on one of his claws. "Thanks Gon." Asa said as he stood up. He retracted his claws before ruffling the other boy's hair. "Don't stay up too late!" Asa chirped, ignoring the spiky haired boy's protests.

Asa waved goodbye and slipped out of the room, grabbing his cloak in the process. He pulled his clock on and loosely tied the strings, leaving his hood down. "Now, where did Killua go?" Asa sniffed the air a few times before finding Killua's scent. He followed the scent down the darkened hallway and tensed when the scent of blood reached him.

It wasn't Killua's blood but it still worried him. He swallowed back the sudden dryness in his throat before hurrying down the hallway. His eyes widened when he saw two bodies on the ground while Killua kept on walking. The blood was coming from the dead bodies and he could smell a bit of it coming from Killua.

"Ki-" Asa started to call out the assassin's name only to freeze when the other boy suddenly moved. He tilted his head upward at the sharpened nails Killua now held against his neck. The scent of blood was stronger on Killua's sharp nails causing him to gulp. It didn't exactly help that Killua was shirtless now, having taken off his turtleneck sometime after he left the room. He could clearly see Killua's pale, exposed neck. He could only imagine what it would feel like to sink his fangs into the other's boy neck and taste-

"What are you?" Asa was drawn back into reality at Killua's serious and deadly tone. Asa's eyes widened at the question and nervously bit his lip. "I'll ask again," Killua pressed his sharp nails harder till a trail of blood trickled down his neck. "What are you?" Asa swallowed back his urge to satisfy his thirst and looked away from the taller boy.

"I'm not human." Asa murmured as he stared at their reflections in the window. "That doesn't answer my question." Killua practically growled. Asa sighed, knowing that the assassin would probably harm him even more if he avoided the question. He knew that Killua wouldn't kill him, at least not yet. He took all the courage he could summon and looked back at the silver haired boy, making sure not to look into Killua's deadly blue eyes.

"I'm a vampire." Asa blurted out. He let out a shaky gasp at what he just blurted out and looked away from Killua. He knew what was coming next. Killua would call him a monster and be disgusted by what he is. The assassin might even attempt to kill him.

"Does that mean you sparkle in daylight?" Asa blinked, dumbfounded by Killua's comment. He looked back at the silver haired boy with wide eyes and saw the smirk on the boy's face. "...I don't sparkle..." He muttered as he felt the sharp nails leave his throat. Asa took a small step back and tightened his grip on his cloak. "Why aren't you scared at what I am?"

"Why should I be? I'm an ex-assassin, I can handle myself." Killua scoffed. "Besides, if you wanted to harm me you would have already done so." Asa laughed softly, nodding his head in agreement. The scent of blood reached him again causing him to look down at the bodies. Killua followed his gaze and frowned. "Since you're a vampire does that mean you drink blood?" Asa glanced back at Killua before looking away. "It's the only thing my body will take as substance."

"But earlier you ate the drumstick I gave you..."

"I didn't want to worry you two so I ate it." Asa nervously laughed at the hard look Killua was now giving him. "You should've said no since you can't eat it." Killua huffed before adopting a worried look. "It didn't hurt you to eat that, did it?"

"O-Oh, no I'm fine," Asa hurriedly said to get rid of the guilty look the assassin was now wearing. "It just made me even more... thirsty..." He trailed off when his gaze landed on the assassin's exposed neck once more. He thickly swallowed and backed away. "G-Goodnight Killua." Asa quickly retreated back the way he came, ignoring Killua's concerned voice calling his name.

Asa was afraid if he stuck around Killua any longer he wouldn't be able to control himself. He didn't want to hurt one of his only friends because he couldn't control his thirst.

xxxxx

Asa ran a hand through his dark purple hair and sighed before pulling his hood up. All the applicants were currently on top of a very tall tower and it was awfully hot. He never did like the heat, especially because he's a vampire.

He managed to escape successfully from Killua last night without losing control. He found an empty room and hid in there till it was time to begin Third Phase.

Asa looked around him and saw Leorio, Kurapika, Gon, and Killua a distance away in the front of the large group of examinees. He took a small step in their direction but stopped when Beans started talking.

"Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower." Asa frowned at the name. He could only imagine what might be in store for them with a name like that. "To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours. With that, we will now begin the Third Phase. I will pray for your success." Beans bid them goodbye and boarded the airship.

Asa winced at the loud noise the airship was making as it flew away from the tower. He turned around at the sound of footsteps and froze when he saw who was coming towards him. "My my, it's nice to see you again, little one." Hisoka practically purred as he stared down at Asa. "I wish that I could say the same," he bluntly said. Asa narrowed his eyes at the magician when he remembered smelling Hisoka's scent on the bruises on Gon's neck before the Second Phase.

"Stay away from my friends!" Asa growled at the amused magician before stalking away. He shivered when he could feel Hisoka's gaze on him for a while. He looked behind him to glare at the magician again only to gasp.

Hisoka was gone.

Asa turned in all directions, looking for the magician, only to come up with nothing. Hisoka was nowhere in sight. "Another trick?" He snorted. They were on Trick Tower.

"Asa!" Asa turned around and saw Killua running towards him. He was grateful that Killua was wearing his turtleneck so his neck was no longer exposed. "Hey Killua," he greeted. Killua stopped in front of him and he could see there was a light pink dusting his cheeks. "Sorry about last night," Killua nervously looked away. "I was in a bad mood, I didn't want to force that out of you."

"It's no problem," Asa softly smiled. "I would have told you soon anyway since we're friends."

"Friends?" Killua looked surprised, nervous, and even a little hopeful.

"Mhm, we're closer now since I told you my secret." Asa hummed. Killua smiled brightly and his blue eyes twinkled with emotions. "Killua! Asa!" Asa looked towards Gon to see he was waving his arms up in the air to get their attention. "I found something."

"We should go check out what Gon found." Asa nudged Killua in the side. Killua nodded in agreement and grabbed his hand, causing the purple haired boy to blush faintly at the sudden contact. "Let's go!" Killua ran towards Gon with Asa close behind.

Asa froze when a hollow sound reached his ears when he stepped onto a tile. "Kil-" Asa shrieked when the tile gave out under him and he started falling. His hand slipped out of Killua's grasp causing the assassin to panic. "Asa!" Killua grabbed his cloak in hopes of stopping his fall into the darkness.

No good.

Asa yelped when he slipped out of the cloak and fully fell into the darkness, the tile going back into place after him. He somehow managed to land in a crouch and warily looked around him. It seemed like he had fallen into a small room. Asa cautiously stood up and jumped when a voice suddenly echoed around him.

_"Welcome to Trick Tower! I am the Prison Warden and Third Phase examiner, Lippo."_

"Prison Warden?" Asa muttered. That could only mean that this whole tower was a prison. Maybe Phase Three will involve the prisoners of Trick Tower?

_"I have prepared multiple routes throughout the tower. You have chosen the path of loneliness. You will have to procede through the path all alone without anyone to help you."_

Asa rolled his eyes. He could take care of himself just fine without needing someone to rescue him.

_"Exit through the door on your left to start the phase. Good luck!"_

Static replaced the male voice for a few moments before the speaker turned off. Asa turned towards his left and saw a metal door in the brick wall. He sighed and looked down at himself. "I'll have to clear this phase fast so I can get my cloak back from Killua," he murmured to himself. He never did like walking around without his cloak, it made him feel vulnerable.

Asa had no doubt his friends would pass this phase, but he was a bit worried they might get hurt in the process. Asa brushed a finger against one of his earrings and walked towards the door. He was surprised when the door opened on its own as he drew closer.

The opened door revealed a long hallway with a high ceiling. The tiles on the floor made him cautious, no doubt that some of them might spring traps.

Asa strolled through the doorway without hesitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear what you think of this story so please comment!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.

Asa looked at the multiple holes in front of him with a frown. He had just spent the last two hours working his way through the obstacles and escaping the few traps he accidentally set off. The first trap involved a very large boulder that nearly squashed him like a bug. The second trap involved the floor crumbling beneath him to reveal a pit of large spikes. The third trap had flames licking at his heels as he ran for his life down a thin hallway.

When he managed to evade the red flames he found himself in front of three holes in the stone wall. When he moved closer to peek down the middle one he saw that it was like a slide. Now he had to decide which slide he was going to take. It was very likely that only one of the holes will get him closer to finishing the Third Phase. It was also likely that all three led to different challenges that could slow him down even more.

Asa slowly approached the perfectly round hole on the left and peered through it. The slide looked like it spiraled downward. He sniffed the air and the faint scent of fresh water reached him. _Don't tell me this leads to a pool of water?_ He frowned and turned his nails into claws, the crack that was on one of his claws thankfully gone. He dug one of his claws into the wall and flicked his wrist. A small, bumpy rock fell into his outstretched hand and he retracted his claws.

Asa gently threw the small rock down the hole and listened as it made its journey down the smooth slide. He sighed when he heard the familiar sound of something plopping into a body of water. "Nope," he muttered as he moved to the next hole. He wasn't worried about drowning, his kind didn't need to breathe. Sadly, he never tried to adjust his body since his lungs burned in protest whenever he stopped breathing. He didn't feel like handling the phantom pain just to make himself less human.

Asa still clung to whatever humanity he still had left after **that** night.

When Asa stopped in front of the middle hole he heard something click. He froze and hesitantly looked down at his feet. "Oh no," he muttered. The floor disappeared and he quickly found himself falling down into the darkness once more.

_Why does the floor keep disappearing?!_

Asa reached out to grab ahold of the walls around him only to grasp at nothing. He hissed in frustration and looked down. He could see a dim light approaching him at a fast pace. He tensed, preparing himself to land on what he hoped was the stone floor.

Light erupted around him as he fell out of the dark tunnel and landed in a crouch. Asa looked back up when he heard a loud noise and saw that the hole he fell out of was closing. After mere moments the ceiling was perfectly gray without even a scratch out of line. He stood up and looked around him at the room and saw that it was completely bare.

"I shouldn't even be surprised," he sighed. It was a bit dark in here since the only light source was a light bulb in the corner of the room. Vampires had great night vision so the lack of light didn't bother him in the slightest. One of the walls seemed to be an entire mirror since he could see his reflection in it. He walked towards the mirror and lightly tapped on it, feeling the cool glass. _What purpose does this mirror serve?_ Asa looked around the room and saw no doors. "What the..." He spent the next ten minutes inspecting the walls for any hidden passageways.

Nothing.

Asa frowned and his gaze traveled back to the large mirror. He walked over to the mirror again and placed a hand on the smooth glass. He could see his reflection staring back at him with a puzzled look. He lightly knocked on the glass with his other hand and sighed when he heard nothing abnormal.

_"You have reached the Fate room."_

Asa jumped at the sudden voice and spun around, his gaze darting around the room searching for the speaker.

_"You must wait in this room till a group of applicants make it past their current stage."_

Asa frowned when he couldn't find the speaker that the examiner was using. It sounded like Lippo was everywhere in the room.

_"Once they finish their current stage they will have to make a decision on whether to let you out of the room or leave you here to fail this Phase."_

Asa ran a hand through his hair in frustration. There was no doubt that he would be left here to fail this phase. After all, the less examinees to pass this phase the better chance for those who passed.

_"You cannot leave this room till a decision has been made."_

The sound of static signaled the end of the one sided conversation. Asa looked around the room with a frown before walking towards the stone wall and sat down. He leaned against the stone as he yawned. "So, I'm stuck here till those participants make their decision?" Asa muttered as he gazed at the ceiling.

He couldn't wait till they make their decision to leave him here to fail. Lippo said he couldn't leave till a decision was made. He can just dig his way out of this room with his claws. Regular stone wouldn't stand a chance against his sharp claws.

Asa closed his eyes as he waited for a decision to be made.

xxxxx

Asa opened his eyes again when the room suddenly lit up. He curiously looked around and saw that three more light bulbs pop out of the ceiling in the remaining three corners. He stood up and took a few steps forward, stopping in the middle of the room. "Is it time?" He looked around the room but couldn't find anything different with the room besides the extra light sources.

_"Here we have applicant #1, Asa Kleinfelder."_

Asa rolled his eyes when Lippo introduced him to the unknown group of examinees. No doubt that whoever the applicants were would be even more likely to leave him here because of his number.

_"You all have to decide whether to let him out of this room or leave him here to fail this phase. Press 'X' to let him out and 'O' to leave him."_

Asa examined his nails as he continued to look around the room. He found himself wandering over to the mirror wall and looked at his reflection. "My hair is getting long," he murmured as he ran a finger across a strand of dark purple hair. He should probably have it cut after the Exam was over.

Asa's eyes widened when the mirror shook slightly before starting to slowly rise up from the ground and into the ceiling. _Did they let me out?_ Asa's gaze followed the mirror as it disappeared into the ceiling. The scent of blood reached him causing him to flinch.

"Asa!"

Asa blinked at the familiar voice and he looked towards it. Gon was waving enthusiastically, being the one who called his name. Killua, Leorio, Kurapika, and Tonpa were there with the spiky haired boy. They were all standing on a small platform on the left side of the large room. In the middle of the room was an even larger platform and was the source of the scent of blood with tall torches at each corner. A large man laid on the stone platform with a bloody lump in his outstretched hand.

Asa knew at once that the large man was dead.

"Hi everyone," he waved towards them with a small smile. He was happy that they decided to let him out of the room even though they could have just left him there.

His gaze drifted to his right and on another small platform were a couple of people wearing tan clothes and no shoes. "Prisoners?" He muttered as he examined the five strangers. It made sense, the examiner did call himself the Prison Warden.

_"You have chosen to let Asa Kleinfelder out of the room. Now, he must participate in a battle."_

Asa frowned as his gaze drifted back to the arena. He didn't really want to fight so close to the scent of blood, but it seemed like he didn't have a choice.

_"Your score is 3-2 in your favor. However, if Asa Kleinfelder loses his battle the score will reset and you'll have to start all over again."_

"What?!" Leorio screamed. Asa rolled his eyes at the loud man. He curiously watched as a bridge extended from the prisoners' platform and connected with the arena. A tall man stepped out of the shadows and onto the bridge, completely covered. The tall man stepped onto the arena and reached up to grab his hood, throwing it off.

The tall man had short brown hair, brown eyes, and was muscular. Asa looked down as a bridge extended from the wall beneath him and connected with the platform. "Oh no, we should have just left him!" He could hear Leorio complain once he saw who Asa had to fight. Asa scoffed before strolling down the bridge and stepped onto the platform, passing the large black screen.

"My my, such a young child you are." The prisoner licked his lips when Asa stepped onto the platform. Asa stopped next to the dead body and glanced at the bloody lump of cloth in the blonde man's hand. He ignored the dryness he felt in his throat as he sniffed at the air.

Killua's scent was all over the lump of cloth.

Asa glanced over towards Killua and smiled. "Good job!" He laughed at the surprised look on the silver haired boy's face and looked towards his opponent. The tall man had a hungry look in his eyes as he gazed at the purple haired boy.

"What are you in for?" Asa tilted his head. He wanted to know if the man before him could be fun to play with.

"My name is Kuro and I'm in for 112 years for rape and murder." The man said in a proud tone. _That explains why he's looking at me like I'm a hunk of meat._ Asa grimaced at the way the man, Kuro, was shamelessly looking at him. "And you, my little porcelain doll, look incredibly _delicious_!~" Kuro practically purred.

Asa shivered in disgust and carefully kept a blank expression, not wanting anyone to know just how uncomfortable he was. _Of course I face someone who wants to rape me._ Asa mentally cursed his bad luck. His eyes widened slightly when his gaze drifted to Kuro's hands. The man's nails were long and looked sharp, reminding him of Killua's sharpened nails.

"Oh, you like my nails?" Kuro lifted a hand to show off the sharp nails. "I'll let you examine them up close as I dirty your pale skin with red."

Asa rolled his eyes at that gleeful threat.

"I propose a death match."

"A death match?" Asa repeated, interested. This would make winning the match much more easy.

"The loser is the one who dies. That means no surrendering." Kuro smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes. "I'll enjoy tainting your pure body right in front of everyone." Kuro's lustful gaze roamed his body causing the purple haired boy to visibly shiver in disgust.

_Okay, I want to rip this man to shreds now!_

"Asa! You don't have to fight him! We can always start all over again!" Leorio shouted, worried. Asa looked towards them and he could see concern in Leorio and Kurapika's eyes. Killua had an emotionless expression but his hands were tightly curled into fists. Gon, on the other hand, looked determined.

Red eyes met amber eyes.

_'I believe in you, Asa!'_

Red eyes widened and swiftly looked away. Leave it to Gon to believe in someone who looked completely outmatched. "I'll be fine," Asa gave them a thumbs up with a grin. "This will be over in less than a minute."

"Rather cocky for one so young," Asa glanced back at an amused looking Kuro. "You're like what, only 12 years old? Exactly my...type..."

Kuro trailed off as blood dripped down from his mouth. The tall man slowly looked down to see a hand deep inside his chest. Asa coldly looked at his hand that was now buried deep inside Kuro and carelessly pulled it out, ignoring the blood splattering on him. His gaze lingered on the blood that covered his whole hand and wrist.

_That was a mistake._

Asa could feel his throat burn at the sight of the sweet liquid that coated his hand. He just wanted to grab the dying man in front of him and drain him of his life force. He just wanted to lick every droplet of blood off his hand and _savor_ the taste.

But he couldn't.

Not with everyone staring at him.

Asa settled with watching Kuro fall limply to the ground in front of him. He flexed his hand and sent droplets of red to stain the cold grey stone. He looked up when he heard stone moving and saw an entrance way to a tunnel opening up across from him. Another bridge extended from under the new tunnel to connect with the arena.

_"Across the bridge, you'll find a small room. You must spend the fifty hours you gambled away there. Asa Kleinfelder will join you for the rest of the phase."_

Asa blankly stared at the tunnel for a couple of seconds before sighing. He could only guess that either Tonpa or Leorio did a gamble contest with their opponent. Kurapika and Killua were too smart to waste time like that. Gon had more sense than to agree with a contest he would most likely fail.

"Well, let's go." Asa glanced towards Killua who had started walking across the bridge towards the arena. Just the slightest _glimpse_ of Killua's neck made his mouth water. He dryly swallowed and stiffly walked towards the tunnel that would lead them to their prison for the next fifty hours.

Asa soon walked into a small room and headed for the door in the corner, hoping it was the bathroom. The door was next to a black screen that was currently blank. He opened the door right as he heard the others enter the room. He swiftly closed the door behind him and frowned when he didn't see a lock.

He could see that the bathroom was small and didn't even have a shower. Instead there was a wide bathtub that seemed to be made from marble. It looked like it could fit at least three or four people in it depending on how close you wanted to be with the other person.

He took a few steps to the white sink and turned the water on. He stuck his bloodied hand under the cold water and watched as the pinkish liquid went down the drain. His throat burned in protest at the loss of the small snack but he ignored it.

_When this phase is over I really need to satisfy my thirst._

Soon his thirst will get the better of him and he'll drain whoever is closest to him of their blood. He didn't want to lose control near his new friends. He didn't want to become even more of a monster.

"Asa."

Asa jumped and spun around with wide eyes. Killua was casually leaning against the closed door with an amused smile. He couldn't believe he didn't hear the door open and close. He pouted before turning back towards the sink and shut the water off.

"I saw that bloody lump of cloth in that man's hand. That was his heart, right?" Asa turned back towards Killua with a smile. "That was pretty impressive. I wished I could have seen you do that." He sighed as he grabbed a small, fluffy towel off the pale counter and dried his wet hand with it.

The sound of laughter made Asa turn back towards Killua. "Y-You're weird!" Killua wiped away the tears that were forming at the edge of his blue eyes. "I thought we already came to that conclusion." Asa rolled his eyes before throwing the used towel into the wooden bin that was on the floor next to the sink counter.

"Anyway, that wasn't what I came in here for." Killua said in a serious tone. Asa warily looked at the taller boy at the sudden seriousness. Suddenly, he was aware that he was in a small enclosure with Killua blocking the exit. He swallowed and shifted away from the silver haired boy. "...What did you want?"

"I saw the way you looked hungrily at the blood, Asa." Killua took a step forward. Asa took a step back. "I don't really get how vampires work, but I do know that you're thirsty." Asa kept backing away from the advancing boy till the back of his legs hit the side of the bathtub.

"I-I'm fine!" Asa looked away from the taller boy when he stopped right in front of him. He tensed when he felt Killua brush his thumb across his cheek. When Killua withdrew his hand he could see a speck of blood on the other's thumb.

Asa forced himself to look away from the taunting red. He could feel Killua's gaze on him for a couple of silent minutes before the other boy sighed. Asa's gaze was drawn back to the assassin and immediately wished he could look away.

Killua was rolling down his turtleneck, revealing his pale neck.

"W-What...are you doing...?" Asa choked out as he covered his mouth with his hand. His gaze was locked on the pale flesh that was exposed to him.

"You need blood, right? I don't think you'll be able to go on much longer without drinking blood." Killua shrugged. Asa stared wide eyed at the boy in front of him before giggling. Killua looked surprised and confused at the soft giggles that filled the air.

"Killua is so nice!" Asa let his hand drop to his side as he smiled at the silver haired boy. "Shut up!" Killua hissed with pink cheeks.

"But... are you sure?" The smile fell from Asa's face. "I could drain you dry or even turn you into a vampire."

"I'll give you the same answer that I gave you on the would have already done those things if that was your intention."

Asa sighed softly at the stubborn boy in front of him. "I won't be able to leave the bathroom till I drink from you, will I?"

"Nope."

"It'll hurt."

"I have a high pain tolerance."

Asa's lips twitched upward in a smile. "Alright, I'll do it." Asa nervously looked at the wall. He rarely drank from people without draining them dry. The last time he left someone alive was many, many years ago.

"If you start feeling dizzy be sure to tell me." Asa warned.

"Yes mom." Asa glared at the taller boy and stepped forward. He placed his hands on Killua's shoulders and leaned towards the other's neck. He could feel his thirst rising even more now that he was finally going to get a meal.

Asa could feel the assassin shiver slightly when he ran his tongue across the pale flesh, preparing both Killua and himself for what he was going to do. He hesitated before sinking his sharp fangs into Killua's neck. Warm, delicious blood filled his mouth and he nearly moaned at the taste.

It tasted like _heaven_.

Killua's blood tasted sweet which was typical for virgins. Killua's blood also was spicy at the same time. Asa had never tasted blood like Killua's before and he soon found himself greedily gulping down the delicious nectar.

He didn't know how much time has passed but the next thing he knows is that something was gently pulling his hair. He made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat and dug his fangs deeper into Killua's neck.

_Ow._

Asa detached from Killua with a whine when the pulling became harder. He slowly blinked as he became more aware of his surroundings. One of Killua's hands was on his waist and the other hand was tangled in his hair.

_Oh._

Killua must have been trying to get him to stop.

Asa whined softly in distress and licked at the bite wound he made to get it to stop bleeding. When he was sure Killua wasn't bleeding anymore he leaned away from the taller boy's neck. "Are you alright?" Asa worriedly cupped Killua's face in both hands and turned his head both left and right. "I-I'm okay! Stop worrying!" Asa could feel the assassin's cheeks heat up. He softly smiled and let go of Killua's face.

Killua seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before slowly letting go of his waist and hair. Asa licked his lips for any traces of blood so he didn't waste Killua's kindness. "You taste delicious." Asa absently said.

Killua's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "Idiot! Would you stop saying such embarrassing things?!"

"Then stop giving me the opportunities." Asa smirked. He watched as Killua rolled the neck of his turtleneck back up, covering the wound.

"Thanks Killua," Asa smiled. "Letting me drink your blood meant a lot to me."

"Next time you're thirsty just come to me, alright?" Killua gave him a stern look.

"Yes mom." Asa playfully taunted, throwing the assassin's earlier words right back at him. Killua rolled his eyes before turning around and walked towards the door, Asa right behind him. Asa followed Killua out of the bathroom and closed the door right behind them.

"Asa!"

Asa grunted when Gon glomped him. He awkwardly hugged the spiky haired boy back, not used to this type of affection. Gon pulled away with a huge grin and showed something purple into his arms.

Asa blinked in confusion as he stared at the light purple fabric in his arms. _My cloak._ "Thanks Gon." Asa ruffled the boy's hair. "Stop!" Gon protested with a pout before the grin came back. "And you shouldn't thank me. Killua has been holding on to your cloak since-"

"Moron!" Killua flicked the boy's forehead with red cheeks."Killuaaaaa!" Gon whined as he rubbed his forehead. Asa shook his head fondly at the two boys before pulling his cloak on. He reached up to grab his hood but hesitated.

Asa scanned the room before letting his hands drop back inside his cloak. "Thanks for holding onto my cloak, Killua." Asa thanked the assassin. "Don't expect me to always hold on to it." Killua turned away with a blush.

"Are you alright Asa?" Leorio was sitting next to Kurapika on one of the black couches and was staring at him with a concerned look. "Yeah, why?" Asa frowned when he saw that Kurapika was also looking at him with concern.

"You're really pale, are you sick?" Leorio stood up and walked over to them, his doctor instincts getting the better of him. Asa flinched when Leorio placed his hand on his forehead to check for his body temperature. "You're extremely cold." Leorio frowned. Asa swiftly swatted the aspiring doctor's hand away with a pout as Kurapika also made his way over.

"I'm fine! No need to worry!" Asa tried to reassure them but it didn't seem to work. "That man made you uncomfortable, didn't he?" Kurapika calmly asked as he placed a hand on Leorio's shoulder to get the other male to calm down.

"Of course, but that's nothing new." Asa huffed as he placed his hands on his hips. "Oh?" Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "Have you had encounters with men like him before?"

"Yes. Those kinds of men see me as just a child who is traveling alone. Easy prey." Asa chuckled with an amused smirk. "Though those men who approached me with lustful intentions never lived very long."

"Y-You killed them all?" Leorio gulped.

"Yup!" Asa chirped.

"What kind of kid are you?!" Asa grimaced as Leorio raised his voice. "Oh, you guys don't know this either." Gon turned towards the two teens. "Asa said he was raised similar to Killua."

"What?! You're an assassin too?!" Leorio shrieked, sweat dripping down from his forehead. "No. I only said that because assassins have to be raised in a... _brutal_ manner." Asa shrugged carelessly.

"So you're saying you were raised in a brutal manner?" Kurapika said, ever the observant one of the group.

"It depends on how you view it, but I certainly consider it brutal." Asa walked past them and sat down at the L shaped table with a sigh. Soon the other three joined him at the black table. Killua and Gon sat at both of his sides while Kurapika and Leorio took the seats on the other sides of the table.

"Why do you consider it brutal?" Kurapika asked once everyone was settled.

"My parents hated me and made sure that I knew that."

Silence.

Asa frowned as his four companions looked at him with shock and some of them even had pity in their eyes. "Stop looking at me like that." Asa huffed as he crossed his arms. "They're dead so it doesn't even matter anymore."

"Why did they hate you?" Kurapika hesitantly asked.

"You're asking a lot of questions." Asa smiled to show the blonde he wasn't offended. "I realized that we barely know anything about you." Kurapika replied.

"Is that so?" Asa leaned back slightly as he looked at the other three. "Tell us more about you, Asa!" Gon said with his ever present grin still on his face. Asa chuckled softly before nodding.

"Alright, let's see..." Asa looked up at the ceiling with furrowed brows. "They hated me because they thought I looked like a demon. My hair and eye color was unnatural so they believed I was cursed by the devil."

"I can see why they would think that. Purple hair and red eyes is certainly unnatural." Leorio frowned with anger in his eyes. "But that doesn't mean they should abuse their only child."

"Red eyes?" Asa blinked, puzzled, before realization dawned on him and he shook his head. "My eyes weren't red back then. My original eye color is purple. My eyes turned red on my twelfth birthday."

More silence.

Asa could see why they were shocked. Eyes changing color isn't something that happens daily. Kurapika looked the most shocked, and even a bit hopeful? He looked at the others and saw that they were all looking at Kurapika.

_Did I miss something?_

Kurapika swallowed and said in a choked voice,

"Are you a Kurta?"

Asa's eyes widened.

xxxxx

_Asa frowned as he lazily swung his legs as he stared up at the cloudless sky. He brushed a finger across the thick rope that was tied to the branch he was currently sitting on. "He's late." The purple haired boy mumbled as he looked around him._

_"Asa!" He perked up at the sound of his name and watched as a young man with curly blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes that glittered like gems._

_"Subaru." Asa greeted as the young man climbed up the thick rope and sat on the branch next to him, panting._

_"Sorry about being late." The blonde, Subaru, sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "There were some family matters that needed to be settled."_

_"You're always working so hard," Asa rolled his eyes and tilted his head upward to look back up at the sky through the green leaves. "Being the heir to the Kurta family seems to be very hard."_

_"Perhaps," Subaru chuckled as he followed the smaller boy's gaze up to the bright blue sky. "But it'll be worth it when I become the head of the family."_

_"Your family is so formal." Asa scoffed. "No offense Subaru but your family isn't all that special."_

_"I'm hoping to change that when I become the head." Subaru smiled gently and his blue eyes softened. "Everyone worldwide will know of the Kurta family."_

_"Be careful of what you wish for." Asa teased. "Your wish might get granted in the most twisted way possible."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this other chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.

"I have been forbidden to reveal information about the Kurta clan." Asa pulled his hood up for comfort. "What the hell does that mean?!" Leorio shouted as he slammed his hands down on the table. "It _means_ that I cannot give away information of the clan to outsiders!" Asa hissed. He engaged in a glaring match with the aspiring doctor. Gon nervously looked between them, not knowing what to do to get rid of the heavy atmosphere.

"Leorio," Asa and Leorio looked towards Kurapika when he muttered softly. His bangs were hiding his eyes but Asa could see that the blonde's hands were curled into fists in his lap. "Will you reveal your information to a Kurta?" Asa blinked in confusion before narrowing his eyes.

"A bit of it but-"

Kurapika looked up.

Asa drew in a sharp breath at Kurapika's glowing red orbs. It has been many years since he last saw a Kurta's red eyes.

_Subaru..._

He could almost believe that Subaru was standing in front of him thanks to Kurapika's blonde hair. The only real difference was the emotion in their scarlet eyes. He didn't know how Kurapika survived the massacre of the Kurta clan, but he could guess that the blonde wasn't present when it happened. The spiders wouldn't have let him live if he was there.

Asa gulped and shrunk deeper into his light purple cloak. "Now will you tell me?" Kurapika calmly asked, the red still glowing beautifully. Asa nervously gripped the fabric of his pants as he stared at the black table.

"I'm not a Kurta but I do have a connection with your clan," he muttered in a soft voice. "I won't say what that connection is exactly but I can tell you that I made a promise to a Kurta to not interfere with any clan business."

"I see." Kurapika closed his eyes for a couple seconds before opening them again. Asa nearly sighed in relief when he saw that Kurapika's eyes were back to their grey color. Silence filled the tense air for a few minutes till the blonde decided to break it.

"Killua, can you tell me how that technique works?" Asa blinked in confusion. _What technique?_ He looked towards the silver haired boy who looked confused too. "Technique?" Killua furrowed his brows.

"The one you used to instantly remove his heart."

Asa saw Killua's eyes light up with understanding before a smirk formed. "Oh, that wasn't even a technique. I just ripped it out." Asa could believe that. It sounded like something Killua, a trained assassin, could do. He could remember how neat it was since there was only a bit of blood.

"Ripped it out?" Kurapika frowned.

"But to make it easier," Killua smirked as he held up a hand. "I manipulated my body a bit." Killua's nails sharpened and the veins on his fingers became more noticeable. "Y-Your nails..." Leorio gaped at Killua's sharpened nails. "Wow!" Gon said in awe.

"Mass murderers are still only amateurs." Killua's nails turned to normal. "I used to be a professional. But my old man would've done better. When he removes a heart, you won't see even a drop of blood."

"How reassuring." Leorio mumbled.

"I'll be the judge of that, kitty." Asa grinned.

"K-Kitty?! Don't call me that!" Killua hissed with pink dusting his cheeks.

"Why not?" Asa smiled mischievously. "You have retractable claws." Asa held up both hands and turned his nails into claws and pawed at the air. "Nya!~"

That earned him a punch in the shoulder.

Asa pouted as he retracted his claws to rub at his shoulder. "Is that how you killed that man?" Asa looked towards Kurapika who was examining his hands. "Nope," Asa shook his head. "You'll be surprised at how easy it is to penetrate flesh without anything sharp."

"Scary..." Leorio grumbled to himself. Asa glanced back at Kurapika who was staring at him. Asa dropped his hands back into his lap when he accidently met Kurapika's gaze.

_'As long as they're on our side...'_

Asa quickly looked away.

"Well, then. We have more than two whole days." Killua glanced towards the timer on the wall. "What should we do, Killua, Asa?" Gon looked towards them, puzzled. "Let's see if this room has any entertainment for us!" Asa jumped to his feet. "Yeah!" Killua and Gon jumped to their feet too.

The three of them headed for the TV across the room.

xxxxx

Asa curiously watched as Killua helped Gon onto his skateboard. It had been three hours and they had already explored the whole room, bathroom included. Kurapika was busy plucking books off the tall bookshelf to read while Leorio sat on the couch next to the bookshelf. Tonpa- _he honestly forgot that the man was with them_ \- was at the table pouring himself some coffee. Everyone left their shoes next to the door since they had no need for them.

After a couple of moments of Gon failing with the skateboard Killua decided to give the spiky haired boy another example. Asa watched in amazement as Killua did another cool flip with the yellow skateboard and twirled it in his arms.

"If you hesitate on the first step, you'll hurt yourself." Killua held the skateboard out to Gon. "Okay." Gon took the skateboard and placed it down on the ground for another attempt. "Killua's a cool teacher!" Asa clapped his hands together with a small laugh.

"Asa! Shut up!" Killua glared at him with pink cheeks. Asa held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Hey, Kurapika. Once we've spent fifty hours here, we'll have fewer than ten hours, right?" Asa turned his attention from Gon and Killua towards Leorio. "Yes, that's correct." Kurapika placed a book back on the shelf and turned towards Leorio who confidently said, "That's way more than enough time!"

"You're a fool." Asa glanced sharply at Tonpa who had his eyes closed. "What's that?" Leorio grumbled, annoyed. "Phase Three lasts seventy-two hours. And each phase is designed to weed out half of the remaining candidates." Tonpa opened his eyes to look towards Leorio. "So, on average, it's meant to take seventy-two hours. Just more proof that you're an idiot."

_He's starting trouble again._

"Well, our chances of reaching the goal within ten hours will depend on the remaining trails." Kurapika placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's true." Leorio slumped forward. Asa narrowed his eyes when Tonpa let out a dark chuckle. "But when we've got a guy who's so down on his luck, he can't even win a simple game of rock-paper-scissors, and an extra burden..."

Asa's eye twitched.

"What was that?!" Leorio growled, ready to lunge at the fat man.

"You deliberately lost a bet, just to satiate your libido." That sounded like something Leorio would do. "Then you chose rock-paper-scissors, a contest you couldn't win."

"Shut up! You surrendered without even a fight!" A vein was throbbing on the aspiring doctor's forehead. "Sure, I surrendered." Tonpa smirked. "But I only wasted a second of our time. You lost, squandering fifty of our remaining hours. Take some responsibility, huh?"

Asa frowned when he saw how worked up Leorio got from Tonpa's mocking words. _He looks like he's going to punch Tonpa._ "Besides, what kind of Hunter is so bad at gambling?" That seemed to be the last straw for Leorio since he jumped up from his seat.

"Shut up! You don't even want to become a Hunter... You only care about ruining our chances." Asa winced at how loud Leorio was being and covered his ears. "Sensitive hearing?" Killua whispered to him, taking his eyes off Gon to watch Leorio and Tonpa. "Unfortunately." Asa grumbled.

Asa's eyes widened when Tonpa suddenly glanced towards him, their gazes meeting.

_'And now, you'll have the guilt eating at you for the rest of this exam phase. When I'm done with you I'll start breaking the red eyed freak.'_

Asa scoffed as he looked away from the chubby man. Tonpa will soon see that he wouldn't break so easily, especially to someone like him. Asa squeaked in shock when Killua's skateboard went flying right past him and nearly hit Tonpa. The skateboard crashed into the bookshelf and fell to the floor along with a couple of books.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Leorio glared at the three of them. "Sorry about that." Gon sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with a smile. "Don't skateboard inside this tiny room!" Leorio growled.

Gon whined and pouted in protest. Asa glanced back at Tonpa who looked very satisfied. He smiled with a wicked glint in his eyes as he approached the Rookie Crusher. "If you keep causing trouble I won't hesitate to kill you." Asa sweetly said. Tonpa broke out in a cold sweat at the purple haired boy's promise.

Asa turned around and headed towards the bookshelf to help Kurapika pick up the books.

xxxxx

Asa grumbled softly as the sound of quiet laughter woke him up. After the skateboard incident trays of food popped out of the wall for all six of them. He managed to give his share to Gon with much protests from Leorio and Kurapika, both claiming it would be unhealthy to skip the meal. He managed to kind of convince them with Killua's help that he could afford to skip the meal.

They backed off after making Asa promise to eat next time. He wasn't looking forward to that, the dry taste of human food will get rid of the heavenly taste of Killua's blood that still lingered in his mouth.

They all messed around for the new few hours till it was decided for everyone to go to bed. Leorio claimed the couch next to the bookshelf and Tonpa claimed the chair near the aspiring doctor. Kurapika got the chair in front of the bookshelf for obvious reasons. Killua, Asa, and Gon laid down next to each other on the couch with the vampire in the middle.

Asa curled up even move under his blanket at the sound of something being thrown. After this continued for a while Asa could feel his patience running dry. He pushed himself up into a sitting position with his blanket pooling around him.

"Hey! Why can't you-mmph!" Asa started to complain only to get cut off when a pillow smacked him in the face. He could hear Killua and Gon laughing as he ripped the soft pillow off him. He could feel his lips twitching upward into a grin. _Eh, since I'm up I might as well join them._

He threw the pillow back at Killua and jumped to his feet. When the pillow was coming back at him he ducked and tackled the assassin to the ground in a victorious laugh. Gon soon joined them on the floor as they all wrestled for dominance, pillows and blankets scattered around them.

Asa somehow ended up beneath both Killua and Gon. The two boys made an unspoken agreement to gang up on the purple haired boy. _Damn._ Killua had his wrists gripped firmly and was sitting on his stomach while Gon sat on his legs, both boys restricting his movements.

"No fair!" Asa whined as he struggled against them. "Anything goes in a fight." Killua smirked down at him. Asa pouted at the silver haired boy before noticing their position. Killua was practically straddling his waist and had his hands pinned on the ground. Pink dusted his cheeks and his eyes widened. Killua looked confused at the blushing vampire only to also realize their position.

Killua's eyes widened as his cheeks heated up. Their gazes were locked on each other and for a split second they forgot that they weren't alone.

They came back to reality thanks to Gon.

Killua squealed in surprise when Gon suddenly tackled him off Asa. "Gon?! What are you-" Killua was cut off when Gon started to tickle the assassin. Killua squirmed, trying to get free, while his laughter echoed around them. Asa's blush faded away and he grinned mischievously. "Killua shouldn't have let his guard down!" Gon grinned, oblivious to the moment he broke.

"That's right!~" Asa chirped as he jumped on Killua too. Killua's laughter rose in volume as Asa tickled one of the assassin's sides while Gon got the other side.

"Hey, pipe down." Leorio complained. Asa giggled and backed away from the flushed assassin. Gon grinned as he gave Killua one last tickle before backing away. Killua panted with flushed cheeks from the duo's merciless attacks and glared at them. "Didn't you say that anything goes?" Asa innocently smiled. Killua pouted and crossed his arms.

"Let me sleep some more..." Leorio grumbled moodily. Asa watched with amusement as Tonpa's foot moved closer to Leorio. "That stinks!" Leorio shot up to avoid the scent. Asa laughed loudly at Leorio's reaction along with Gon and Killua. Kurapika's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter too.

"What's wrong with you guys? That wasn't funny." Leorio's glare just made them laugh harder. "Bastard, you'd better not be pretending to sleep." Leorio leaned down towards Tonpa with a scary look before moving away. Asa smiled when he saw Tonpa open one eye to watch the annoyed teen walk away. _Typical._

"Damn, now I'm totally awake..." Leorio grumbled and looked towards the timer. "And we still have forty hours left?" Leorio sat down at the table to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Asa frowned when he realized something from their wrestle. He looked into Killua's eyes earlier without reading his mind. It was possible to prevent him from reading your mind, but the taller boy didn't know he could read minds. There had to be something else that was preventing him from reading the assassin's mind.

"Oh!" Asa turned towards Gon who suddenly exclaimed with wide amber eyes. "I nearly forgot to ask about what you two were talking about in the bathroom! I heard something about a vam-" Killua quickly covered Gon's mouth with a hand to muffle his words. Asa's eyes widened, knowing what Gon was about to say.

_He heard us?_

When they came out of the bathroom Gon was right next to the door. Gon would have been able to hear them if he focused hard enough or had great hearing. Gon shoved Killua's hand away with a pout. Asa looked towards Leorio who looked like he wasn't paying attention to them. Kurapika seemed to have fallen back asleep.

He was going to tell Gon sooner or later, he just didn't expect it to be this soon. He was a bit scared about Gon's reaction, but Killua reacted pretty good so that helped ease his fear. He would also have the assassin right there with him while he told Gon what he was.

"Come on," Asa whispered to the two boys and stood up. He led the two boys to the bathroom and opened the door. He quickly stepped inside and walked further in to make room for Gon and Killua. He leaned against the side of the tub and turned towards the two boys, Killua closing the door behind them for privacy.

"Why are we in here?" Gon asked with puzzled amber eyes. Asa looked at Killua who nodded at him. He took a deep breath and looked towards Gon. "I have something to tell you," Asa began, feeling oddly vulnerable without his cloak on. "I'm a vampire."

Gon stared at him.

Killua looked between the two.

Asa shuffled his feet nervously.

"Does that mean you're immortal?" Gon tilted his head. Asa blankly stared at Gon while Killua laughed at Gon's question. _It's like Killua with the sparkles._ "Not really," Asa shook his head with an amused smile. "I may live for a very long time but my body's biology is very close to a human's body. I can still suffer from fatal wounds." Asa placed a hand on Gon's chest, feeling the spiky haired boy's heartbeat. "For example, ripping out my heart will kill me."

"Oh," Gon nodded like he just didn't learn that his friend was a supernatural creature. "Then does that mean you drink blood?"

"Yes," Asa opened his mouth and pointed at his fangs. "Blood is the only thing my body will accept and it helps me heal from critical wounds." Gon and Killua leaned forward to get a glimpse of the purple haired boy's fangs.

Gon because of his innocent curiosity.

Killua because he wanted to see what pierced his skin earlier.

Asa closed his mouth and yawned. "I'm going back to bed. Vampires still require sleep." Asa looked towards the two sharply. "And I would like to sleep without any interruptions."

Gon and Killua sheepishly looked away.

xxxxx

Asa managed to get a couple hours of sleep without anything waking him up. A miracle since he woke up to see Gon and Killua throwing their pillows at each other again, though silently this time. Asa took the chance to ambush the two boys since they were focused on each other. Sadly, he was caught and ganged up on again.

Now they were sitting on the couch examining Gon's fishing pole. Leorio was napping on the other couch and Kurapika was reading another book, slowly building up a pile of finished books next to him. Tonpa was busy clipping his nails away from the others.

"Oh, I thought you just had to stick bait on a hook, and you could fish." Killua was turning the hook of Gon's fishing pole over in his hand. "Yeah. You have to think like a fish." Gon had his fishing pole propped up against him.

"Think like a fish?"

"Yep! How would a fish feel if it saw bait dangling in front of it? Give me that." Gon held his hand out towards the assassin. Killua placed the hook in Gon's hand. Gon held the hook firmly between his thumb and index finger as he stared at his target. Asa watched with wide eyes as Gon threw the line, the hook landed in the coffee cup that was next to Tonpa.

"Wow! Let me try." Killua grabbed the fishing pole from Gon and mimicked the spiky haired boy's pose. Asa followed the assassin's concentrated gaze and nearly laughed at what he saw. "Like this?" Killua threw the line and the hook landed next to Leorio on the couch.

"You missed." Gon chuckled. "Just watch." Killua grinned deviously and pulled the fishing pole up. This time he let out a laugh when the hook caught on Leorio's pants, waking the teen up from his nap. "H-Hey..." Leorio mumbled, annoyed at being woken once more by them. "What are you doing?"

"Hey..." Leorio struggled against Killua who was trying to reel the teen in. "Just as planned!" Killua grinned. "Reel him in!" Asa clapped his hands together with a laugh.

"Hey, you'll tear my pants. Stop it..." Leorio struggled to get the hook off his pants. Finally, the hook ripped through the aspiring doctor's pants, pulling them down a bit. "See? I caught him." Killua caught the hook in his free hand. "Yep." Gon nodded with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leorio stood up from the couch and yelled at them. "I'm a fish now?!"

"You don't have to get so mad." Killua pouted. "It's not like I'm gonna grill and eat you."

"He probably won't taste good," Asa snickered.

"Don't mess with me, fool!" A vein pulsed on the angry teen's forehead. "Man, I can't even take a nap."

Asa looked towards Killua and held out a hand. "Can I try it?" Killua glanced at him and handed the fishing pole over. He turned the pole over in his hands a couple times to examine it. _Hm, it looks to be in decent shape._ Asa mimicked the pose Gon showed them and looked around the room for a target.

_Perfect._

Asa grinned when he found a target and concentrated. After a couple of seconds he threw the line and eagerly watched as it went across the room. "Got it!" Asa laughed as the hook caught onto his target and he pulled the line back.

"What the..." Tonpa watched with wide eyes as the hook went back to the boys.

Asa caught the hook in one hand and handed the fishing pole back to Gon. He plucked his target off the hook and proudly showed it off to the boys. In his hand was a badge with the number 16 printed on it. "That was cool!" Gon said with wonder dancing in his amber eyes.

"Your hook is pretty good for catching things," Asa said as he tossed the badge to Tonpa. Asa glanced up when he hard a familiar rumbling noise coming from the wall. "Oh no..." He pouted as a small opening appeared in the wall with trays of food visible in it. He stood up slowly and started to walk towards the bathroom. He stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You promised you'll eat this time." Kurapika looked down at him. Asa nervously laughed at the blonde's stern gaze. He softly sighed when the blonde turned him around and guided him back to the table.

_Damn._

xxxxx

Asa pulled his cloak on and left the hood down. The fifty hours was almost up. The hours he spent in this tiny room seemed to pass by in a blur because of all the fun he was having with Killua and Gon. He especially enjoyed this silly game they played where you had to try and catch the other person's hand between your own hands. If your hand was caught you had to get flicked on the forehead.

Gon didn't win a single round against them and had a bright red spot on his forehead for a while since they didn't hold back. Asa won and lost a bunch of times against Killua though that didn't surprise him. Killua was a trained assassin and had proven his skills many times in the Exam. Asa had a gut feeling that Killua might become stronger than him in the future.

His gut feeling was, sadly, rarely wrong.

"Okay... Ready to go!" Gon said after he finished stretching. Asa looked towards the timer and saw that there was only a minute left before they could leave the room. He hurriedly pulled on his shoes and went to stand next to Killua.

"One more minute." Kurapika placed a hand on his satchel. "This is one long minute." Leorio sighed as he stared intensely at the locked door. Asa watched as the small red light on the door turned green. He took a step forward right as the metal door opened. "Let's go!" Asa ran through the entrance. "Right!" He could hear Gon's footsteps behind him as the spiky haired boy followed him.

"Wait up guys!" Leorio yelled after them. "You better catch up, old man!" Asa yelled back at him, ignoring the tall teen's angry shout that he wasn't old. Asa giggled and heard them start running after them, one pair of footsteps quickly gaining on them. He looked back and wasn't surprised to see Killua effortlessly getting closer to them.

Asa looked back ahead and quickened his speed.

xxxxx

Asa curiously looked around the deserted arena, the prisoners and dead bodies no where in sight. Kurapika, Leorio, and Tonpa were panting softly from running for thirty straight minutes. "Thirty minutes of running just to end up where we started." Leorio said between pants. "Were we supposed to take those stairs down?" Asa turned towards the group with a small frown. "Probably." Killua boredly looked around.

"Shut up! We all agreed on this route!" Leorio glared daggers at both of them. Asa blinked in surprise at the aspiring doctor's agressiveness. "Let's just keep moving," Kurapika placed a hand on Leorio's arm to calm him. "We already agreed on this route so there's no going back."

Asa watched as Leorio grumbled to himself as he started walking. He watched the group start walking after the aspiring doctor and joined them after a few seconds. He knew that the rest of this Phase will be unpleasant thanks to Tonpa angering Leorio.

xxxxx

"We're supposed to vote on whether to open the door?" Leorio narrowed his eyes at their current question. Asa crossed his arms, not interested in the question. He didn't have a watch so the questions didn't concern him at all.

They spent the last couple of hours going through new challenges and traps they triggered. His personal favorite was when they had to ride in a minecart. It was fun even though he nearly went deaf thanks to Leorio's screaming. Killua helped block out the screaming somewhat by covering his ears for him.

"We need to move on. So obviously, we want to open the door." Asa heard the beeps from everyone's watches as they pressed a button. He rolled his eyes when he saw that one person pressed X instead of O. _Has to be Tonpa._

Leorio also came to that conclusion since he grabbed the front of Tonpa's shirt and growled, "I've had enough of your crap."

"Wait, I pressed O." Tonpa glared right back at the tall teen. "Don't lie..." Leorio nearly lifted Tonpa off his feet. "You specialize in ruining other people's chances!"

"Sorry, Leorio." Gon stepped towards the angry teen with an apologetic look. "I accidentally pressed the wrong button."

That surprised Asa, but it did seem likely. It would be easy to press the wrong button by mistake.

"What? Oh, I see." Leorio let go of Tonpa's shirt and turned around. "Wait." Asa watched with a frown as Leorio stopped walking at Tonpa's voice. "Oh come on..." Asa shook his head, knowing that another fight was about to happen between the two.

"You owe me an apology. I can't let that slide." Tonpa narrowed his eyes at the teen. Leorio turned his head to glare at the chubby man out of the corner of his eyes. "It's your own fault, for doing things to make me distrust you. I don't owe you anything."

Asa glanced between the two, the tension in the air rising as they glared at each other. He sighed and walked towards the metal door, seeing that Killua was already next to it and was looking at Leorio and Tonpa with a bored glint in his blue eyes.

"You make it sound like I'm to blame for everything that's gone wrong."

"This will take a while," Asa mumbled to the assassin.

"What?"

"They're wasting valuable time." Asa huffed as he fixed his cloak, noticing that it was a bit out of place.

"Have you forgotten who cost us those fifty hours? You're the one who made a critical mistake."

"Let's just leave them." Killua placed a hand on the metal handle of the large door.

"Hey, Leorio..." Kurapika attempted to place a calming hand on the taller teen's arm only to get shoved away. "Shut up, Kurapika!" Leorio placed his briefcase on the ground and held his hands up threateningly. Tonpa copied the other's actions and got into a combat stance.

"Stop this, guys." Gon stepped up, attempting to stop them from fighting. "It's my fault for pressing the wrong button."

"Stupid." Killua opened the door. "We're moving on." Killua ducked into the next room and Asa closely followed the silver haired boy. "Wait, Killua, Asa!" He could hear Gon call after them as they entered the room. Asa paused as he took in his surroundings. "Killua..." He looked around at all the different kinds of weapons on the walls. "I don't like this."

He turned towards the assassin and saw him poke his head out of the room. "Hey, Gon..." Asa rolled his eyes, knowing that the other boy didn't hear him. "We're getting close to the goal."

"What? Really?" He could hear the excitement practically vibrate in the spiky haired boy's words. He slid back to stand next to Killua as everyone eagerly made their way into the room. He eyed the statue of a woman's body in the wall between the two doors. The door on the left had a red 'X' painted on it while the door on the right had a red 'O' painted on it.

"Let's see... "This will be the last decision made by majority rule. Are you ready? Choose O or X." That's it." Killua read the engraved words below the statue with a bored tone. "Am I ready? You bet." Leorio said to himself as everyone but Asa pressed a button on their watches. Asa wasn't surprised when the screen showed that one person pressed 'X.'

"Bastard!" Leorio growled as he turned to face Tonpa. "Stop!" Kurapika snapped, stopping the older teen in his tracks. "We don't have time to argue about this!" Leorio reluctantly turned away from the fat man with a scowl.

The red dot on the stone woman's forehead beeped a few times before a familiar voice sounded through it.

_"Please select a path. There are two choices. One path allows five plus Asa Kleinfelder to pass, but is long and difficult. The other allows only three, but is short and easy."_

Asa narrowed his eyes at the stone statue when he heard the choices. He was starting to realize why there were so many weapons in the room.

_"Incidentally, the long and difficult path requires a minimum of forty-five hours. The short and easy path leads to the goal in approximately three minutes. Press O for the long and difficult path, and X for the short and easy path. If X is selected, two people plus Asa Kleinfelder must be secured to the wall with handcuffs, before the door will open."_

Asa glanced towards the three pairs of handcuffs hanging off the wall, dangling on steel chains. Those would be easy to break so he wasn't worried about being cuffed to the wall.

_"The two chained members plus Asa Kleinfelder will be unable to move until the time limit expires. If they somehow manage to break free from the handcuffs everyone will be disqualified."_

Asa frowned as his option of breaking free was thrown out the window. "The examiners were very prepared." Killua eyed the sharp weapons displayed on the walls. "I think they have every weapon under the sun here."

"Two out of five along with Asa..." Kurapika has his eyes closed in thought. "So we're supposed to fight, to decide the three who pass?"

"They also want you guys to chain me to the wall," Asa smirked at them, his fangs gleaming dangerously. "My days of being chained are over." Gon and Kurapika looked unsettled at what he said while Killua had an unreadable expression. Out of everyone there, Killua was the most difficult one to read.

"Let me make this clear." Leorio turned to face everyone with a determination glowing like fire in his eyes. "I'm going to press X. But I have no intention of staying behind. I'll do whatever it takes to be one of the three..."

"You're shameless." Tonpa snorted, everyone turning to look at him. "Had you not wasted fifty hours, we could have taken the long path. Shouldn't you take responsibility and stay behind?"

"What?!" Leorio growled, taking the bait. Asa shook his head with a sigh and placed his hands over his ears to block out the yelling that was about to occur. "I'm sure everyone else agrees! Have I said anything inaccurate?"

"Hold on."

Asa lifted his hands from his ears at the sound of Gon's voice. "I'm going to press O. We made it all the way here together. I want us all to pass together." Asa could admire the fiery spirit that was currently blazing in the younger boy's amber eyes. He knew that Gon didn't want to abandon any of his friends, however, real life is never nice.

"Gon..." Kurapika sighed, sounding a bit tired.

"Even if it's a big risk, I want to give it a shot!" Gon continued speaking to try and convince the others to press O.

"Come on... You can't really call this a risk." Killua held out his arm to show the timer to Gon. "We have less than an hour. Gon, there's only one choice if you want to pass this exam."

Asa knew exactly which choice Killua was talking about. It was the most logical choice to choose given their remaining time. Like Killua said, there was only one choice if they wanted to pass this Phase.

And yet he was hurt by Killua's choice. It hurt to think that Killua was willing to chain him to a wall and leave him there for who knows how long.

Asa's nails dug into the palm of his hands as he moved away from Killua's side, his bangs covering his eyes. It was going to be him against everyone else, except maybe not Gon. Gon was too innocent and naive to attack someone he considered a friend just to pass the Exam.

"There you have it." Asa could feel Leorio's gaze on him as he moved away from the silver haired assassin. Killua looked towards him for a split second before sweeping his gaze across everyone. "Now we have to decide how to choose which three pass. Well, I'm planning on two of them being you and me." Killua nodded his head in Gon's direction.

So Killua was willing to pass this Phase with Gon but not him?

It felt like someone just plunged a dagger in his heart.

Asa was distracted from his pain at Tonpa's movements and sharply glanced over to the fat man. He could see Tonpa reach for one of the weapons on the wall and grab it firmly. Tonpa was looking at Leorio who didn't see the fat man grab the large ax.

Asa stayed silent.

Leorio yelled in surprise when the ax just barely missed him, the sharp blade digging into the floor where the aspiring doctor was once standing. "Tonpa, that was dirty!" Leorio shrieked in anger.

"In a fight, there's no such thing as dirty!" The fat man was speaking the truth. Asa knew that he too would play dirty if it meant saving his own life or one of his new friends. Asa watched as Tonpa lunged at the tall teen and began swinging the ax at Leorio. The aspiring doctor was able to dodge all of Tonpa's attacks so far but was being backed into a wall.

"Bastard!" Leorio snarled as he dropped his briefcase and grabbed a weird looking spear off the wall. "Stop this, you two!" Kurapika yelled as the two clashed again, steel clanging against steel as both men fought for victory.

"Come on... Let's do it together." Gon's pleas went unheard as the fight continued. Asa took a few steps to the side when the battle drew closer to where he was standing, cautiously watching Kurapika and Killua for their move.

"Before we start fighting, we have to choose O or X!" Leorio yelled at the shorter man as their weapons clashed once more. "It's too late for that!" Tonpa yelled back as he swung the ax again, aiming to decapitate the tall teen. Leorio swiftly ducked and the ax flew right above him and dug into the wall. Rubble flew everywhere as Tonpa yanked the ax out of the stone wall and jumped back into the fight.

"Time to put you in your place!" Leorio snarled as he aimed to stab the older man in the leg but was blocked again. "Right back at you." Tonpa smirked at the angry teen as he swung the ax, aiming to deal a deadly blow.

"Seems our only choice is to fight." Killua scoffed and held up a hand and grew his nails into their deadly form. Asa could see Kurapika tense at the sight of Killua's sharp nails and hovered his hand over his wooden swords.

Because he was watching Kurapika he didn't see Gon reach for one of the weapons of the wall.

xxxxx

_"Kurapika, applicant #404, is the twentieth to pass. Killua, applicant #99, is the twenty-first to pass. Gon, applicant #405, is the twenty-second to pass. Asa, applicant #1, is the twenty-third to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."_

Asa sighed as he stood behind the three right outside the now open doorway. He had to admit that what Gon came up was pretty brilliant. He never even thought of that and yet he even did that before with his claws. Leave it to Gon to find a way for all of his friends plus Tonpa to pass without leaving anyone behind.

"My butt hurts..." Killua complained. "I didn't expect a slide for the short and easy path."

The slide was unexpected but quite fun. His somewhat sour mood was temporarily lifted at the excitement blooming inside him as they all went down the slide. It brought a smile to his face hearing the others scream like little girls at the sudden sliding motion.

Asa looked around the stone room they were in and mentally noted the others who made it. He stiffened when his gaze met that sly magician's gaze and felt a shiver run up his spine. He narrowed his gaze at the creepy male before averting his gaze. He still didn't like that man and had hoped that he wouldn't make it this far.

_"Thirty seconds remain."_

"That was really close." Gon smiled as he looked up at the Kurta.

"My hands are covered with blisters." Kurapika held up his hands with his lips also curving upward into a smile. Asa looked down at his own hands which were still as pale and smooth as ever. His blisters had already healed up within seconds thanks to his regenration speed.

"Same here."

_"Leorio, applicant #403, is the twenty-fourth to pass. Tonpa, applicant #16, is the twenty-fifth to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes."_

Asa looked back and saw Leorio and Tonpa push at each other since they were stuck in the doorway. He couldn't help but giggle at the sight and stepped forward. He grabbed the aspiring doctor's blistered hand and gave him a slight tug, pulling him through the doorway first which caused Tonpa face-planting onto the hard ground.

"Thanks brat." Leorio ruffled Asa's hair much to the shorter male's protest. Asa pouted as he ran his fingers through his dark purple hair in an attempt to get it back to how it was before while Tonpa pushed himself up from the ground with a scowl.

"My hands are blistered," Leorio held out his large hands for the others to see. "But all six of us cleared the tower together. All thanks to Gon!" Leorio grinned as he reached over and ruffled Gon's hair like he did to Asa a few seconds earlier. Gon laughed with a huge smile as he touched his ruffled hair after the older teen pulled away.

"We entered the long and difficult path," Kurapika smiled as he crossed his arms. "Then cut a hole in the wall to sneak into the short and easy path."

Everyone used the weapons from the walls to do that since Tonpa had demonstrated earlier when he attacked Leorio that the weapons could cut into the wall. Asa declined the use of an ax and instead used his claws to cut through the stone wall. He was happy that everyone was too busy with the task at hand for conversation since he wasn't really in the mood to talk to them, or Killua to be more specific.

"Man, I can't believe you actually came up with that idea on the spot." Leorio said with an impressed glint in his dark colored eyes.

"I realized that we could break the walls using the weapons." Gon held up his index finger with a slight laugh. "But it took over fifty minutes." That may be true, but at least they all managed to actually get through the tower.

A loud beep echoed through the room causing everyone to stop what they were doing.

_"The Third Phase of the exam is over. Twenty-six applicants have passed. One has died."_

At the mention of someone dying, Asa curiously looked around the room before spotting the corpse in front of a stone doorway close to them. How unfortunate. He perked up when he heard the sound of a doorway opening and turned his head to see a stone doorway between two men going up, letting sunshine into the room.

It was time for the next Phase to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the fifth chapter of this fanfiction! Please make sure to leave a comment~!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here is the sixth chapter of this story! I have to be honest, I had a problem trying to figure out who will be Asa's target.  
> Just...  
> ...so much trouble...
> 
> (Don't forget to leave comments!~)

Asa held up a hand to shield his eyes as he looked up at the bright blue sky. It was fairly windy which made his light purple cloak flow behind him. He kept a firm grip on his hood so it wouldn't fall off and curiously swept his red gaze around him at his new surroundings. Everyone who had made it through Trick Tower were not outside and were waiting for further instructions and what might be a clue to their next Phase. Though the only thing that might relate to the next Phase was the island in the far distance.

His gaze drifted over to Killua who was standing with their 'group' some ways away from where he currently was standing. As soon as they made it outside Asa had quickly moved to put some distance between them, ignoring the worried and confused glances sent his way. After all, the memory of being nearly abandoned was still fresh in his mind despite Gon's idea that let them all pass the Phase together.

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower."

Asa's attention was grabbed by the familiar voice of the Warden guy and he turned his head to see a weasel-looking man standing near the edge of the cliff.

"Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain." The man continued to speak, his wide glasses reflecting the sunlight.

"Two more..." Asa heard the bald ninja mutter to himself.

Asa perked up when the Hunter raised his hand and jabbed his thumb in the distant island's direction. "The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island." So he was right in assuming that the island was a possible clue to the next Phase. He curiously focused on the island and, even with his great eyesight, could only make out large forests on the large land mass.

"Let us proceed." The nearly bald man with glasses raised his hand into the air and snapped his fingers rather dramatically. Murmurs rang out in the crowd of examinees as a small metal cart was wheeled to stand next to the Hunter. Asa curiously got up on his tip toes and peered over at the cart and saw that there was a box with yellow arrows pointing to the middle of it on the metal surface. How odd.

"I will need you to draw lots."

"Lots...?" Asa repeated in confusion. Were they going to do something resembling a lottery? If that was true then what they will pick will depend entirely on luck. Unfortunately, the dark purple haired boy never did have much luck in his long lifetime. One could tell just by looking at his current situation and how he came to still be 'alive' despite being born many decades ago.

"For what?" The archer asked in puzzlement. Asa narrowed his eyes when he saw the purple haired man smirk slyly. This next Phase had a bad feeling to it so far.

"To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted."

His eyes widened at that sentence. He supposed it did make sense since they were trying to become 'Hunters' and therefore had to 'hunt' objects. However, he would've thought that the Final Phase will feature the hunt-and-be-hunted scenario and not the Fourth Phase. Then again, the Hunter Exam had many surprising elements to it so he should be used to them by now.

"In here are twenty-five numbered cards," the man waved a hand towards the box next to him. "In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards." Asa frowned at that revelation and looked down at his own numbered tag pinned to his shirt. He swiftly plucked the tag off his shirt and stuffed it into his pocket as the Hunter continued to explain what they were going to do.

"Now, I need you each to draw a card in the order by which you exited the tower." Well, he was going to be waiting for quite a while then. "Will the first person come forward?" Asa curiously looked around for the person who was the first to complete the Third Phase and somehow wasn't surprised by who stepped up.

Though he was surprised by the wound on Hisoka's shoulder since he didn't think the magician would get injured so easily. Asa shrugged and watched as the creepy man plucked a card out of the box, the box giving an incredibly soft _beep_ , and walked back to his spot. Their gazes met as Hisoka walked back and Asa quickly looked away, feeling a chill run up his spine at the sight of that eerie smile.

The next person to walk up was a shaking man with large, golden pins stabbed into his head, torso, and back. Asa blinked as the jittery man slammed his hand into the box and pulled out his card in an odd way. He should probably steer clear of that one. There was something about that oddly colored man that made his instincts warn him that there was something... _deadly_ within him.

"Guess I'm next." Asa watched as the bald ninja cheerfully walk up to the box and pulled a card. This continued on as the other participates went up to draw their own card which will tell them whose ID number they had. The vampire patiently waited for his turn and knew it was coming closer when he saw the Kurta calmly walk up to the box for his own randomly chosen card.

Asa pursed his lips together as he watched Killua casually walk up to the box with his hands behind his head. He quickly looked away and crossed his arms. It still hurt to look at the assassin who was so ready to leave him behind in order to pass the Phase. He didn't make friends easily so he was very happy to become closer to Killua and the others so what happened in that room hurt the vampire deeply.

Asa waited till Gon had started to walk away from the box before moving to walk over. He could feel the gazes of the other examinees on him as he stopped in front of the box and stuck his hand in. He could feel only three cards left in the box and grabbed the one closest to his hand. He pulled it out and curiously examined it as he turned around and started to walk away, passing by Leorio whose gaze fell on him as they walked by each other.

Asa returned to his spot on the outskirts of the crowd and pulled his attention away from his card to watch as Tonpa went up to grab the last card in the box. The fat man seemed oddly nervous with a drop of sweat running down his face. Perhaps the thought of hunting got him nervous due to the wrongs he has done in the Hunter Exam to other people? Well, in his own opinion, Tonpa will get exactly what he deserves if someone ruthlessly hunted him down.

"Everyone's taken a card?" The spiky haired man asked after Tonpa had pulled out the last of the cards. "Then, remove the seal from your card."

Asa pursed his lips together and slowly started to peel the blank seal off his card. He let the seal float to the ground as he inspected the ID number that was printed on his card. He quickly shot his gaze up to look towards the one he knew had the same number as the one on his card. The taller man was looking down at his card with a drop of sweat dripping his chin.

"The card indicates your target." The Hunter seemed to enjoy the tense atmosphere around the examinees judging by the large smirk on his face. Asa could see the other participates removing their tags and hiding it somewhere safe, but that didn't matter to him since he knew who his target was. He was a creature of the night. His prey will not be able to escape him this Phase.

"This box has recorded which card each of you drew." Ah, so that explained the soft beep and the flash of light whenever someone reached inside it. "This means that you're free to dispose of the cards if you wish. The objective is to steal your target's ID tag."

"Oh, so we don't need to kill each other." The shortest of the Amori Brothers said in relief.

"Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the ID tags. Including killing off your target and taking the tag off the corpse." The purple haired man continued to say which unnerved the more timid brother.

"That sounds like the fastest way." The brother in the middle said with his lips slightly curved upward confidently.

"S-So that's what this is about?" The shortest brother looked incredibly nervous.

"Fool, there's nothing to be scared of." The tallest brother elbowed the smallest with a large grin.

"Listen carefully!" Asa turned his attention away from the brothers and back onto the Hunter who had held up his hand in the air. The man put his hand back down once he got everyone's attention and continued to say the rules of the Fourth Phase.

"Your target's ID tag is worth three points." The Warden held up three fingers. "Your own ID is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point." One finger was held up. "You need six points to advance to the Final Phase." Six fingers were held up. "So while on Zevil Island, you must gather enough ID tags to total six points. That is the condition for clearing the Hunter Exam's Fourth Phase."

Murmurs rang out in the crowd while Asa slowly grinned under the cover of his hood. This Phase will be easy to the vampire since he has hunted humans many times in the past. His target wasn't one of the people he was worried about and didn't prove much of a challenge so he might just have some fun before stealing the tag.

xxxxx

"I'd like to commend everyone on board for their excellent work during the Hunter Exam's Third Phase! I will serve as your guide. My name is Khara!" The cheerful woman at the front of the group said with a smile. Everyone was currently on board a ship that was headed for the island where the Fourth Phase will take place. The short haired woman was weaving a sleeveless light yellow shirt with the Hunter Association symbol on the front and was over a long sleeved white shirt. Asa could hear her perfectly clear even without the headset she was wearing to make her voice loud enough so everyone could hear her.

Everyone was currently sitting down on the deck and nearly everyone had their tags off except for Hisoka, Gon, and Killua. Asa could see this from his perch on the wooden railing on the back of the boat, sitting on the highest bump with his cloak fanning out behind him in the wind. He didn't really like how close that made him with that magician, but at least he wasn't close to Killua or the others. The vampire had pretty much made a beeline for this spot as soon as everyone boarded the boat so the others couldn't speak with him.

"It will take two hours for this boat to reach Zevil Island. All twenty-five applicants remaining here are automatically qualified to take next year's exam! So if you fail this year, don't feel bad." The woman, who reminded Asa of a cat, winked with a large smile as if that was good news. Asa didn't really like the idea of failing the Phase and he knew the other examinees felt the same way.

He may have joined the Hunter Exam since he was bored, but he had become actually serious about it since the First Phase. It was no longer just an activity so he could have some fun but rather a test on the skills he has acquired in his lifetime. He was not going to give up so easily.

"Please try again next year..." Khara trailed off when she finally realized the tense atmosphere. Asa giggled at the look on her face and found himself smiling, bemused at the whole situation. It took their cheerful guide a few minutes too long to realize that the participates were too focused on their planning and suspicions to listen to her fully.

"Well, you're free to do as you like, for the next two hours." Their guide put on a fake closed eyed smile. "Please enjoy the boat ride." Khara waved as she walked off, disappearing around the corner to most likely hang out with the captain of the vessel they were on.

Asa placed his hands next to him on the painted wood and leaned back slightly to look up at the semi-cloudy sky. The wind was nice and gentle and it wasn't too cloudy so it was a perfect day to be out and about on the ocean. It was fairly relaxing despite the fact that he was on his way to hunt and be hunted for the Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam.

Asa turned his head slightly when a flash of silver caught his attention. He silently watched as Killua approached Gon who was sitting down on the wooden floor, leaning against the wooden railing of the boat. Their gazes met and it took more willpower than he would've liked to look away from the silver haired assassin.

Asa sighed and jumped off his perch, gaining some glances from the surrounding participates, and started to walk along the side to get to the front of the boat. He kept his red gaze ahead when he passed by Hisoka and felt a shiver run up his spine when he felt the magician's gaze fall on him and quickened his pace.

Asa felt bad for whoever was unlucky enough to draw Hisoka's number.

xxxxx

Asa somehow managed to get through the whole boat ride without talking to anyone he didn't want to talk to. Kurapika did approach him and they chatted for a while, but the vampire refused to say the reason why he was so distant with the others. He knew that the Kurta already knew why he separated from the group and he was grateful that he didn't try to force the issue. Kurapika was actually really pleasant to talk to so Asa was a bit disappointed when the blonde left to go back to the others.

The boat had docked at the side of the forest-y island and everyone were standing up now that the trip was over. Asa was at the back of the group and next to the oddly colored man who came in second since he didn't want to stand with Killua and the others. However, he thought he felt the odd man's gaze on him when he came to a stop next to him but when he turned to look he wasn't even looking in his direction. He didn't know if he was imagining things or not, but he was now more wary of the man with pins stuck in him.

"Thanks for your patience, everyone. We've finally arrived at Zevil Island!" Khara said after the plank was placed connecting the boat to Zevil Island. Their guide was standing off to the side of the wooden plank and had what looked to be a stop watch in her hand. "Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase." Their guide held up the stop watch. "After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn."

Asa sighed at that. He was one of the last to clear the Third Phase so that means he'll be one of the last to disembark which will take quite a while. That meant the others in the front will have a better advantage than him since they'll have more time to scoop out of the island before going on the hunt. Well, that small disadvantage wouldn't bother him thanks to his heightened senses.

"You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here." She pointed her index finger up at the sky with a large smile. "All right then, the first person may start!"

Asa narrowed his eyes when he saw Hisoka step forward. He crossed his arms as he watched the redhead walk across the wooden plank and onto the island. The magician soon disappeared into the trees but the vampire knew that he wasn't even going to bother to stake out his target. The magician will just wait for other people to come to him instead of seeking them out himself. That seemed like the type of game the creepy man likes the most.

"Two minutes have passed." Khara said as she pressed the stop button on the stop watch. "The second person may start!"

Asa giggled at her shocked expression when the spiky haired man walked past her and onto the island. He watched as the man clad in green disappeared through the trees and noted that he might blend in rather well with the environment if the green he was wearing was a different shade. At least he didn't have to worry about that man sneaking up on him anytime soon if he was his target. It would certainly make the Phase more interesting if that man, or Hisoka, was hunting him, but he didn't want to take the chance. He didn't know which of them would win in a one-on-one fight after all.

"The third person may start."

"Yeah!" The bald ninja exclaimed in determination as he started to head for the island.

Her calling for the next person to start went on for many minutes. The examinees on the boat slowly disappeared onto the island and soon it was just Asa and the others left on the boat. He shifted slightly and took a few steps closer to the plank in an attempt to put some distance between him and the others, or Killua to be more specific.

"The twentieth person may start.

Asa could hear Kurapika's footsteps and turned his head slightly to watch the taller male. The vampire hesitated for a few seconds but made up his mind when the blonde was about to step onto the plank. "Good luck Kurapika!" He called out much to the surprise of the others.

The Kurta paused and looked back at him in surprise before softly smiling. "The same goes to you too, Asa. I look forward to seeing you again in the Final Phase." The blonde dipped his head forward in a small nod before turning back around and stepping onto the wooden plank.

Asa smiled slightly under his hood as the Kurta disappeared through the lush forest. It seemed like a friendship was slowly blooming between them, but he couldn't help but wonder if that was because Kurapika reminded him of Subaru. The two Kurtas were alike in appearance but different in terms of personality and such.

"Two minutes have passed. The twenty-first person may start!"

"See ya." Asa tensed when he heard the sound of a certain someone's voice.

"Uh-huh." He forced himself to relax when he heard Gon's reply and turned his head to the side so he wouldn't see the assassin walk towards the plank. He heard a soft hesitation in the other's footsteps when Killua neared him, but the silver haired boy continued walking without addressing him. Asa only looked back when he heard Killua's footsteps become distant as the other male most likely went into the green forest.

"Two minutes have passed. The twenty-second person may start."

"Okay! See you..." Asa glanced over at Gon when he heard the cheerful boy before looking away. He could hear the fast pace of the other boy's footsteps and couldn't help but smile lightly. "Bye bye Asa! Let's see each other again at the end of the week!" His eyes widened at that and looked over at Gon who was waving at him with a large grin on his face from his spot on the plank.

Asa didn't get the chance to respond since the energetic boy had already turned around and ran onto the island. He held a hand up to his mouth to muffle his laughter as he watched Gon run into the forest without any hesitation. "Silly," he warmly smiled. "I'll be sure to meet you."

"Two minutes have passed. The twenty-third person may start!"

Asa let his hands drop back to his side and started to walk forward. He stepped past Khara and walked across the wooden plank, smiling when he stepped onto the island. He didn't look back at the two remaining examinees and instead headed for the forest.

He had his prey to catch.

xxxxx

It only took Asa an hour to find his target. He grinned to himself from his perch on one of the higher branches of a tree the size of a tall building as he inspected his target. His target's usual team of three was now only one which signaled that the other two males must've already left to find their own targets.

The dark purple haired vampire could just drop down and steal the tag in just a few seconds, but that would be boring. It was still only the first day so he didn't want to get his tag so easily without even trying. That isn't a very fun game.

"Perhaps I should follow him for a while?" Asa murmured to himself as he leaned against the wide trunk of the tree. He could tail his target for some days before finally stealing his tag since that might prove to be more fun. Or he could wait till the very last day before stealing that numbered tag. It would certainly be devastating if one's tag was stolen just mere hours away from completing the Fourth Phase.

Asa giggled to himself at that thought and stepped down the branch and away from the trunk. His target was on the move so he had to jump from branch to branch now. Tailing him would certainly prove to be more interesting than just stealing the tag right off the bat.

Besides, who knows who will pop up in the coming days.

xxxxx

Days has passed since Asa had decided to follow his target instead of just stealing his tag immediately. He sort of regretted his choice since his target, the supposed youngest of the Amori Brothers, is stalking Killua. It was obvious that the taller man's target was the silver haired assassin who had noticed the other's presence in less than a second. Asa was sure that Killua also knew that he was there, but the other boy didn't even look up at the thick leaves in his direction.

He had debated whether or not to steal the tag as soon as he saw Killua, but eventually decided to just stick to following his target. Even though he was still hurt by Killua's decision to leave him behind, he still liked being near the silver haired assassin. Perhaps he was just waiting for Killua to say something to him concerning the matter, but the other boy never addressed him in the days that followed.

Asa didn't know if that relieved him or made the hurt feel worse.

"You're wasting you time."

Ah, there was Killua again. Every once in a while Killua will speak up and try to get his tail to show himself without success. Asa knew that the assassin couldn't care less, but it seemed to be annoying him with each passing hour. He would be annoyed too if he was aware of a presence following him for days without doing anything.

"I'll never give you an opening to attack." Asa could see that Killua had stopped and was looking in the direction of the youngest of the Amori Brothers. He curiously glanced down at his target as he swung his legs back and forth in the air. The man with the white and cyan hat wasn't even that well hidden in the first place so he was quite easy to spot.

Asa sighed when he heard his target mutter something about being a cautious man. Whatever he was doing, it certainly wasn't even close to being cautious. The dark purple haired being could tell that his target subconsciously feel that Killua could kill him before he even blinked which was why he hasn't made a single move against the boy in the past few days.

"Man..." Asa could hear the annoyed sigh come from Killua. "If you're not gonna show yourself, I'll come to you."

Asa could feel his lips curve upward into a smile at the shocked 'huh?' that came from his target. He snickered quietly to himself as the silver haired assassin started to walk towards where the 'cautious' man was hiding. This could prove to be entertaining.

"What a pain..." Asa grinned when he heard the grumble that came from Killua. "You're only worth one point to me." Yes, this will defiantly be fun to watch. He just hoped Killua didn't hold onto the guy's tag since he needed it. He didn't want to try and wrestle that tag from Killua since he didn't really want to fight the other boy.

Asa blinked when he heard the shuffling of leaves nearby and glanced over. He couldn't see anyone up in the branches with him, but he could certainly feel _something_. It looked like someone had the same idea as him to hide up high in the trees while stalking a certain someone. He could feel the presences of the last two of his target's group arrive which meant that one of them was being tailed by whoever else was up in the trees with him.

"Bro!"

Asa glanced back down at his target and giggled at the nervous look on his face. His target's brothers looked mighty confident which meant they probably got their tags already from their targets or at least one of them had.

"We ran into some trouble." The man wearing the turtleneck said.

"You're done, right?" The man wearing the yellow and black striped shirt asked.

That was when they noticed Killua standing nearby.

Their eyes narrowed when they saw the silver haired boy standing perfectly fine nearby with his tag still pinned on his outer v-neck shirt. Asa smiled in amusement as he watched the two march up to their youngest brother with scowls.

"You idiot!" The turtleneck-wearing man shouted as he kicked Asa's target.

"You can't even beat a little kid?" The tallest shouted as he sucker punched the shortest brother.

"Y-You got it wrong, Amo!" The vampire's target raised his hands in an attempt to get his brothers to stop beating on him.

"What do I have wrong?" The striped hat wearing brother snapped, irritated.

"I-I didn't want to hurt a little kid." The brother on the ground attempted to lessen the anger of his older brothers. "So I figured I'd take it while he slept."

"You're lying through your teeth!" The tallest glared at the smallest and threateningly held up his fist which caused the other male to flinch.

"F-Fine! If you insist, that leaves me no choice." Asa watched as his target looked back at Killua with a smirk. "Time for a beat down." The man pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to Killua, obviously confident now that his brothers were here. A lot of humans believed that outnumbering an opponent was best, but Asa knew better.

"Oh, there'll be a beat down alright," Asa leaned forward slightly with a grin. "Just not in the way you imagined!~" The dark purple haired vampire was confident in Killua's ability so those three will not be able to defeat the assassin. But, it will be fun to watch their foolish attempt. Humans should listen to their instincts more to avoid situations like this one.

Asa gleefully watched as his target stopped in front of Killua and put his hands on his hips. "Hey, kid. Just give me your tag." He was probably feeling more confident because of the height difference too judging by how he was looking down at the boy. "Do as I say, and I won't hurt you."

"Stupid." Killua didn't even hesitate to say that. Asa snickered, but he had to agree with the assassin down there. His target really was an idiot to challenge somebody who made him so nervous for the past few days.

Asa's eyes widened when the man _kicked_ Killua in the stomach which sent the boy flying for a few paces. He relaxed when he saw how bored the silver haired assassin looked while laying on the ground with his hands still in his pockets. Though he had to wonder why he let himself be hit. Perhaps he was testing to see if that man really was a worthless opponent or not?

Who knows.

"Aw, don't say I didn't warn you." The shortest man of the trio taunted. "Right in the gut."

"Must hurt like a bitch." The tallest of the trio commented with a cocky grin.

Asa smiled when Killua easily got himself up in a standing position just by kicking his feet up in the air for momentum, not even using his hands. He loved how that shocked his target since he obviously put his all into that kick.

"What? Did you go easy on him?" The turtleneck-wearing brother laughed, obviously not noticing how shocked his younger brother was.

"You're too nice, Imori." The tallest teased, also not noticing his shocked brother.

"Y-Yeah..." Asa's target, Imori, stuttered. He obviously looked shocked and perhaps even a bit worried on how easily Killua got up. The assassin didn't even look like he was injured by that kick which seemed to unnerve the youngest brother even more.

Asa laughed when he saw Killua pull a tag out of his pocket. "#198, huh?" Killua said as he inspected the tag he got off the man who kicked him. "What? No way..." Asa grinned as he watched his target dig around in his pocket only to come up with empty handed since his tag was no longer on his person.

"Sine it's only a number off from the one I'm after, maybe #199 is one of your two buddies?" Killua smirked as he looked back up at the trio of brothers. Asa blinked in surprise at the mention of Killua's target and slightly smiled. So, they ended up with similar targets? That must be fate or something at work.

Asa glanced back at the brothers and noticed that the other two brothers looked more serious now that Killua had displayed one of his skills. It was about time they took the silver haired boy seriously since they were no match for him. He was a bit interested on how they'll go about in trying to defeat Killua, but he was sure it wouldn't work anyway so his interest dimmed.

"Umori..."

"Yeah."

"Get in formation." The oldest ordered as he kept his hardened gaze on the boy who was casually tossing the tag up in the air. "Time to get serious. This is no ordinary kid."

The tallest started to move off to the side which caused the shortest to quickly scramble off to the other side so they could all surround Killua. Asa had to admit that did seem like a good strategy. Surround their enemy so they'll be wary of attacks from three sides. Keep them constantly alert without resting. Go for the kill.

Simple enough.

Asa hummed as he watched Killua move. It may seem like he disappeared to human eyes, but the vampire could somewhat see Killua move to stand behind the oldest brother. His vision may be good, but the assassin's speed was on another level which made it hard to track his movements.

"A-Above?" The oldest foolishly turned his head to look up in the direction he assumed the assassin went only to freeze when he felt the boy behind him. Asa rested his elbows on his knees and placed his head in his hands as he watched Killua kick the back of the man's knees which caused him to fall to his knees. His lips curved upward when he saw the silver haired boy grab the man and point his now sharp fingers at the man's neck.

"Don't move." Killua simply said. "My fingers are sharper than knives." As if to prove that statement, a drop of blood dripped down the man's neck. Asa found himself focusing on that crimson trail and forced himself to look back at Killua who was rummaging around in the pockets of his hostage.

"Huh? You're #197? And you have an extra tag?" Killua sighed in disappointment as he pulled out two tags from the man's pockets. "I'm so bad at guessing these things..." The assassin complained before directing his attention to the tallest of the brothers.

"Hey." The man flinched when Killua addressed him. "Are you #199?"

"Yeah..." The tallest swallowed.

"Hand it over." Killua demanded as he held out his free hand. The man gritted his teeth together before reluctantly pulling out his own tag and tossing it over to the boy who held his older brother captive. "Thanks. Now, for the tags I don't need..." Asa blinked when he saw a bit of mischievousness shine in the boy's blue eyes as he glanced towards the three tags he held in his other hand.

Asa gaped when Killua turned around and threw one of the tags away with such strength that it went flying away like it was a bullet. Before the assassin did that Asa could see him switch the tags so that meant he must've noticed the other person up in the trees with the vampire. At least he didn't throw away his target's tag.

But that seemed to fool the other person up in the trees with him since he could feel that presence vanish in the direction of the flying tag.

"And the other one goes this way." Killua swung the tag and sent it flying in the opposite direction. Asa could see for a brief second before it shot away like a bullet that it was the oldest's target tag. That meant that Killua still had Asa's target tag still on him. But, he didn't know if he'll throw it away or not so he quickly stood up on the thick branch.

"You still have three days." Killua stuck his hands in his pockets. Good, it looked like the boy wasn't about to throw away the tag he himself needed. "Good luck finding them. See ya." Asa could see the large grin on the other's face before he disappeared from his spot.

Asa frowned when he lost sight of the silver haired boy in the trees and curiously glanced around. "Yo." Asa jumped in surprise at the sudden voice behind him and nearly went tumbling to the ground. Luckily, he felt an arm wrap around his waist and pull him back into a warm body, stopping the vampire from falling off the large branch.

"K-Killua?!" Asa stepped away from the assassin with red tinted cheeks and turned to face him. The silver haired boy shifted his feet slightly which betrayed the awkwardness he was feeling. Well, at least he wasn't the only one feeling awkward.

"...What do you-

"I'm sorry."

Asa slowly blinked when he was interrupted and it took him a few moments to process what Killua had said. "...What?" He looked at the assassin with wide eyes and noticed the faint red dusting the pale boy's cheeks. His eyes widened even more when his target's tag was shoved into his hands by the other male.

"...I'm sorry for almost leaving you behind in Trick Tower." The assassin looked away. "T-That was wrong of me and I was a terrible...friend." Killua sucked in a breath and stared the surprised vampire straight in the eye and repeated, "I'm sorry."

Asa couldn't believe it. He has never been apologized to before so he didn't really know how to react. He didn't know what normal people did in these situations. However, there was one thing he did know he wanted to do. So with a warm smile on his face he stepped forward, shoved his target's tag into his pocket, and hugged the assassin much to the other's stuttered protests.

"A-"

"I forgive you, Killua," Asa drew back with a large grin. "I never had friends before in the past so please bare with me!" Asa could see the silver haired boy's cheeks turn a darker shade of red. He giggled when he was shoved away and watched as the flustered boy looked away.

"I-Idiot! Who else can stand you but me?"

"Uwah! Killua's such a mean kitty!~"

"Shut up!"

xxxxx

_"The Fourth Phase of the exam has just ended. Will the applicants please return to the starting point at once? You will be given one hour of extra time. If you do not return during this time, you will fail the exam. Furthermore, you are not allowed to exchange tags after reaching the starting point. Anyone caught swapping tags will be disqualified."_

Those were the words that had drawn both Asa and Killua to the starting point. They had spent the last few days together as they went from place to place. The dark purple haired vampire had hoped to find the one who was hunting him, but ended up being disappointed when whoever that is never showed up. He or she probably got defeated by another examinee.

They weren't the only one there, but that didn't stop the vampire from looking around in concern. "Killua," he started as he looked back at the carefree assassin. "I don't see Gon, Kurapika, or Leorio."

"They'll get here." Killua said without any hesitation. Asa opened his mouth to protest but stopped when the assassin looked over at him with a smile. "Trust me on this, okay?"

Asa found himself blinking at the request before his lips slowly curved upward into a teasing smile. "Killua believes in them so much!~" He giggled and the smile on the other's face was replaced with an embarrassed scowl.

"Then we will now check the tags of everyone here!" Khara announced after she had stepped onto the island with a clipboard and pen in hand. The whole process went by rather quickly with each participant holding up two or more tags. Asa couldn't help but notice that Hisoka didn't have his tag.

Did someone take it? That was a possibility, but it seemed unlikely that anyone would steal something right off the deadly jester. Perhaps Hisoka merely misplaced it? Wait, that sounded even more unlikely.

His thoughts stopped when that sly gaze met Asa's and he quickly looked away. He took a step closer to the assassin who raised an eyebrow but didn't comment or even try to move away. That made the vampire smile slightly as he dug out his own tags to show Khara.

Asa sighed when he realized that another of the people he wanted to avoid passed the Fourth Phase. Great, now he had to watch out for Hisoka and that jittery man who was called Gittarackur by their guide.

That was certainly a strange name.

"So seven applicants have passed?" Khara asked as she wrote something down on her clipboard. "Oh?" Her eyes widened when she saw something and Asa curiously turned his head to see what had caught her attention. He grinned widely when he felt the familiar presences of the last three of their group before they stepped out into the open.

"Gon." Killua exclaimed when he saw the boy in the front of the trio.

"Hey everyone!" Asa waved with a grin at the battered trio.

"Ah, three more arrive at the last second." Khara wrote some more stuff down on her clipboard while Killua and Asa exchanged grins.

"See? What did I tell you?" Killua smirked which caused the vampire to playfully roll his eyes. "Yes yes, I should always listen to the kitty kat!" He elbowed the pale assassin with a giggle. He laughed even more when he felt Killua elbow him roughly back in payback for that nickname.

"And now for the last few members..." Khara got Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio to show the tags they had collected. Asa's eyes widened when he saw the #44 tag in Gon's hand. He knew that Hisoka wouldn't have given up his tag for anything so that meant that Gon had actually outsmarted the magician!

Gon really was amazing.

"Killua?" Asa looked back at the silver haired boy who looked back at him curiously, waiting for the dark purple haired boy to continue. He took a few seconds to trace over the fine lines on the metallic rose pinned to his choker with his index finger as his gaze drifted over to the boat waiting nearby to take them to the last part of the brutal Hunter Exam. He looked back at Killua with a smile and chirped,

"Let's do our best in the Final Phase!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asa Kleinfelder's future was dull. He had the same boring routine every single day. Wander. Avoid people. Sometimes, he even satisfied his thirst for blood. So dull. So when news of the Hunter Exam reached his ears, he decided to take it. He didn't care that it was extremely dangerous. He was a vampire, what was the worst that could happen? Killua Zoldyck happened.

Asa was currently looking out the window and down at the sea far below with a certain boy sitting on the bench with him. Both Killua and he have already left Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio a few minutes ago to go off on their own. They had spent the last few days together on that island but they still wished to have some time to themselves. At least, that was what Asa hoped to be true.

He had a sneaking suspicion that Killua had another motive for dragging him along with him down the hallway, calling out quick goodbyes to their confused friends. Asa had protested, of course, but that did not stop the assassin from continuing to walk down the hallway and away from anyone else. Killua had only stopped once the sounds of the remaining applicants had disappeared to be replaced by silence.

"...So, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" The vampire eventually broke the silence that hung thickly over them. He looked towards the boy next to him and noted that he was also staring into the distance. There was a faraway look in his first friend's gaze, almost like he wasn't really seeing what was in front of them.

"Killua?" Asa questioned and poked the other's arm. He blinked in surprise when Killua immediately grabbed him by the wrist in response. The assassin's grip was tight but he knew that it was not on purpose. Killua is a very deadly assassin and taking him by surprise is probably not the best of options.

"Don't do that," Killua frowned as he let go of Asa's wrist.

"Well, I won't do that again if you tell me what's on your mind." Asa hummed. He brushed a stray strand of hair aside as he waited for the stubborn assassin to talk. It must be something important since Killua separated them from the others. Or it might involve the fact that he was a vampire, but if that was it Killua could've also brought along Gon. Trying to think of the reason why they were alone just made him even more anxious to find out why.

"Stay away from Hisoka."

The sudden demand left Asa staring at Killua in surprise. His lips slowly curved into a small smile as he snorted in laughter. The annoyed look he got in return just made him laugh even more. "Y-You don't have to worry about that," the vampire said once his laughter died down. "He is a very dangerous man and I really don't want to be near him if possible."

"Good." Killua nodded in satisfaction. Asa wanted to probe at the assassin and tease him about his possible jealousy, but he knew that to be false. It was only logical that Killua, born into a life of assassination, was also able to pick up on the deadly aura that surrounded the red-haired magician. They both knew that Hisoka had the ability to kill them without even lifting a finger.

And that thought somewhat frightened them both.

_"I have an announcement for all applicants."_

Asa and Killua exchanged looks at the voice that echoed from the intercom.

_"The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates. When your number is called, please come to the first reception room, on the second floor. Then we will start with #1, Asa-sama."_

"Me?" Asa echoed once the voice died down. They were already on the second floor so all he had to do was find the correct room. Hopefully, he'll be able to find it and not wander around the place like an idiot.

"Don't be annoying," the silver haired boy smirked.

Asa rolled his eyes at his smirking friend and gave him a playful shove. "You're the only annoying one here." The vampire chuckled when he was shoved back. He'll try to find Killua after the interview so he'll be able to give him an idea of what to expect. It is always nice to not go into something completely blind. Especially when it involved the Hunter Exam.

He bid the assassin goodbye and hopped off the bench. He pulled his hood up as usual and started to walk down the pristine hallway. They did not pass any rooms that might've been the reception room so it must be further down the hallway. His senses told him that there was no one else down the hallway which meant that there was no one to ask for directions.

However, Asa could not shake off the feeling that someone was watching him.

xxxxx

"There you are. Please, have a seat."

Those were the words the chairman greeted Asa with once he set foot inside the reception room. It had surprisingly taken him only a few minutes to find the right room. The old man had a presence that is hard to ignore for it screamed power. Asa was very sensitive to such things thanks to his status as a vampire.

Asa shuffled forward and plopped down on the cushion in front of the low table. He could see that the chairman had a writing utensil and paper so it was obvious that his answers will be recorded. He'll have to carefully think of what to say since there was no telling what was going on in that human's mind.

"I'll just be asking a few questions to satisfy my curiosity so don't mind me," the elder said in such a carefree manner. Asa kept his expression neutral while he gave the other male a short nod to show that he had heard what was said. The interview must be short since it was only a couple of questions, however, he made sure to make himself comfortable on his cushion just for the sake of it.

"First, why do you want to become a Hunter?"

"I was bored," Asa responded without any hesitation. "I had heard that the Hunter Exam was difficult so I decided to give it a shot. The Hunter License does not mean much to me but it will be quite handy to have."

"I see..." The chairman mused as he wrote down what Asa said with quick strokes on the paper. "Now, which of the other applicants are you keeping your eye on?"

Asa cocked his head to the side at the question. It was awfully vague since that could mean both positive and negative ways. "Uh, well, I guess I'm keeping an eye on Killua, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika since I have befriended them." Asa eventually said. "Though I am also aware of Hisoka and Gittarackur for all the wrong reasons."

He may not have interacted with Gittarackur much, but there was just something about him that made him bristle in defense. Asa's instincts constantly warned him that that man was dangerous and to stay as far away from him. It reminded him of how Hisoka made him feel so Gittarackur was definitely someone to be extremely wary of.

"Time for the last question. Which of the other applicants would you least want to fight?"

"Killua." Asa immediately said. "He is my friend and also very dangerous. I highly doubt either one of us will be able to walk away without any wounds." Both physically and emotionally. He would not mind sparring with the other boy since it was just to test their skills in a friendly matter. Though actually fighting him? That was something he never wanted to do anytime soon.

"Ah, thanks. You're excused." The chairman waved a hand towards the door. Asa stood up and turned around, completely prepared to walk out that door. However, he only made it a few steps before the other's voice stopped him right in his tracks.

"It has been a while since I last got to peacefully talk with a vampire."

Asa could almost believe that his heart had skipped a beat. He slowly turned to look at the chairman who smiled in that carefree way that he was beginning to associate with the human. He swallowed thickly and quickly turned away from the chairman. He did not know how he knew, but he _knew_ which scared him.

Asa practically fled from the room and away from that knowing gaze.

xxxxx

Asa hadn't been able to find Killua after his interview so he had instead decided to pass the time by staring out the window at the passing scenery. This worked, for the most part, and he even fell asleep during his sightseeing. He was later woken by the announcement that they had reached their destination and that it was time to exit the airship.

The vampire had quickly found his group of friends once he set foot off the airship and lined up with them. They only had enough time to exchange greetings before the chairman and the Hunters disembarked too. There was also a line of men dressed in black suits whom Asa could only assume to be bodyguards of some sort.

"Well, gentlemen," the chairman started. "This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee. The place is all yours until the battles have concluded." One of those supposed bodyguards pushed forward a rolling blackboard covered with a blanket. "For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament."

_So that was why he asked us who we didn't want to fight,_ he mused. The applicants around him murmured amongst themselves while the chairman threw the blanket off to reveal what was underneath. Asa's eyes widened in surprise at the black chart that was now visible. The brackets all went up till there was only one black line left at the top.

"So only the last person standing passes?" Leorio muttered what everyone was thinking.

"No." The chairman grinned and held up a finger. "One win is all you need to pass."

"One win?" Gon echoed, a bit confused. Asa was also confused since that meant only one out of ten will fail. The Phases so far have been quite difficult, however, this one seemed to be a walk in the park. He knew that there were some applicants here he could beat easily though there were others he'd have trouble with. He just hoped he wouldn't have to fight someone he considered to be a friend.

"Then, in this tournament..." Leorio stared wide-eyed at the board.

"The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket." The chairman added, clearly pleased with how the Final Phrase turned out. "In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass." The old man pointed at where the lone line stood all alone near the top. "Does everyone understand now?"

It seemed pretty simple to Asa.

"So you're saying that only one person will fail." The bald ninja slowly repeated with narrowed eyes.

"Exactly."

No one else said anything after that. Asa glanced around and noticed that everyone seemed to be satisfied with the explanation that was given to them. Though why wouldn't they be? Whoever does end up failing the tournament would either have to be extremely unlucky or extremely outmatched by everyone else here.

"And here is the bracket." The chairman stepped to the side and pulled away from the tape that covered the bottom of the board. Asa's gaze danced between each picture on the bottom till he found his own. It looked like he'll be facing either Gittarackur or whoever loses against him. He did not quite enjoy the fact that he might fight someone who sent chills up his spine, but at least he wouldn't have to fight Hisoka.

Anyone was better than that creepy magician.

Asa looked towards the Kurta whose eyes were closed. He felt a twinge of worry stir inside him at the knowledge that his friend will be going against Hisoka. He did not want Kurapika to be harmed but there was nothing he could do about it. He took comfort in the fact that the blonde was very smart and resourceful which gave him a chance against the red-haired magician.

"Impressive, right?" The chairman's voice drew his attention away from the person who resembled his dear friend so. "After all, everyone has at least two chances to win."

"But some people, like #294 and #405, get five chances." The Archer was quick to point that out.

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" The martial arts master frowned in disapproval.

"A question that must be on everyone's mind." The chairman calmly stated. "This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who performed better received more chances."

Asa frowned at that. Then, judging by that, he must've done pretty bad with how high up the bracket he was. Leorio was also pretty high up but that did not really surprise him since the doctor was not exactly the strongest of their group. In fact, he would have definitely already failed the exam if it wasn't for the rest of their group.

But what did he himself do wrong?

"That doesn't sound right." Asa glanced over at the assassin next to him whose narrowed gaze focused on the chairman. "Can you explain how you scored our performances?"

The chairman then smiled, tilted his head to the side, and made an obnoxious face. "No!" The old man cheerfully shouted which made Killua bristled in annoyance.

"Why not?!" The silver haired boy snapped.

"Your scores are classified information." The chairman chuckled. "So I can't tell you everything."

Now that made Asa concerned. He knew that Hunters have a wide network of information and so knew a lot of stuff, but did this old man know everything about them? The thought that someone knew every single detail of his past made him fidget in a sudden bout of nervousness. However, he forced himself to stay still when he saw Killua glance over at him. He gave the other a small shake of the head which seemed to satisfy the assassin for he looked away.

"But I can explain our methods." The chairman had everyone's attention now. "First, we consider three major criteria: physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression." Three fingers were held up. "For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception."

That explained the First and Second Phases.

"For mental strength, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgment, and creativity."

Third and Fourth Phases obviously.

"However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were strong enough to advance to the Final Phase. However, we are most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned." A chuckle. "You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter."

So, was he not believed to be a good Hunter then?

"And we also incorporate the opinions of your peers. That was our process." The chairman finished up by giving the line of applicants a close-eyed smile. That left everyone to muse on what was said and their own place in the bracket. Some were pleased with how they were ranked while others were not.

Killua was obviously not happy.

Asa could see that his friend had that unreadable mask pulled back on and he didn't like it at all. The vampire inched closer and placed a comforting hand on the other boy's shoulder. Killua gave him a surprised look before rolling his eyes. However, he did not move away from Asa's touch so he must've somewhat helped. Even if it was just a little bit.

"The battle rules are quite simple." The chairman started to say once more. "Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However! If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified."

At least that meant Hisoka wouldn't kill Kurapika.

"All remaining applicants will pass, and the exam will end. Are we clear?" The chairman swept his gaze across the applicant line and, when no one spoke up, continued on. "Then, we shall begin the exam's Final Phase."

Asa suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

xxxxx

Asa nervously shifted his feet as he looked towards where Gon was busy tying his shoe further down the line. The chairman had led them all inside the building and everyone was currently standing in a large room with a high ceiling. Everyone except Gon and Hanzo was lined up near the wall while the duo stood at opposite ends of the board, preparing themselves for their match.

"The first match is Hanzo versus Gon." A man in black declared from his spot in the middle of the room. "Please step forward."

Asa watched as Gon stepped forward on the tiled floor without even a hint of hesitation. Figured. The spiky haired boy was probably the bravest of their small group even if that was partly because of his somewhat oblivious nature. Though he hoped that Gon will be alright since the ninja seemed to be quite the opponent.

Both Gon and Hanzo turned to face each other once they reached the sunglasses-wearing man. It was almost comical how different the two looked. Gon was, of course, shorter than the ninja with the funky eyebrows. Hanzo's arms were muscular from what could only be years of brutal training while Gon still had some baby fat on his cheeks. The differences between the two just made the fight seem very one-sided, however, he knew that Gon was stronger than he seemed.

That thought helped pacify his fears a little.

"I will serve as the referee. My name is Masta." The appointed referee glanced between the two males. "Best of luck."

"Hey, good to see you again." Hanzo inputted. "You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase."

Asa noticed the surprise that flickered in those amber eyes.

"You noticed?" Masta raised a brow.

"Naturally..." The ninja smiled in amusement. "I'm assuming that each applicant was assigned an examiner for the Fourth Phase. Well, I'm sure everyone else noticed."

Asa had noticed that he had a tail and had quickly gotten rid of the man. He did not like being followed for it set his nerves on end. He had left the examiner who had started to follow him unconscious in a bush and had not seen him since. He knew that the man was still alive since he had knocked him out without causing injury so he appreciated the fact that the man had not pursued him. Though he did have to deal with Killua's assigned examiner following them throughout the days on the island, he managed to get through it due to knowing that the tail was not specifically for him.

"I thought it wasn't worth mentioning." Asa looked to his side at Kurapika who was looking at a shocked Leorio.

"Y-Yeah..." The doctor stammered.

Asa could tell that the oldest of the teens did not know they had a tail which did not surprise him in the slightest. From the time he had spent with the black haired doctor, he could tell that he was not that observant to his surroundings. He was sure that that fact will no doubt come and bite him in the ass one of these days.

"You have my thanks." The bald ninja smugly crossed his arms. "My rank was higher because your reports on me were accurate."

_...Oh._

Was the fact that he ditched his examiner the reason why he was ranked pretty low?

...Whoops.

"Though the outcome was never in doubt!"

"Y-Yes..."

Asa was starting to not like how smug Hanzo seemed to be from that fact. He felt a glint of mischievousness gleam in his red eyes and knew what to do to knock him down a peg. "I bet he also witnessed how you so easily let yourself be fooled into losing track of your target's tag!" Asa gave the ninja a sharp smile.

That statement caused Hanzo to turn his hardened gaze on him. His sharp smile didn't wither at the glare and instead grew a bit wider. He could hear Killua snort in amusement at the whole exchange that was going on between Asa and Hanzo. The glaring match between the two soon ended when the ninja scowled and turned back to Masta.

"Well then, I have a question for you." Hanzo pointed towards the referee.

"What is it?"

"We only win if our opponent surrenders, correct?" Hanzo's dark eyes narrowed. "It doesn't count if we knock them unconscious. No TKOs allowed, either."

"Yes, that is correct."

Asa did not like how Hanzo looked at Gon.

He worried his bottom lip as Masta took a few big steps back. He knew that Gon was very determined and wouldn't give up so easily. Hanzo also appeared to be a very skilled ninja which meant that defeat was not an option for him either. This match will definitely not end well and Asa did not like that fact at all.

"Now then, it's time to begin."

Asa watched as Gon took a few steps back while Hanzo remained where he was standing. He knew that everyone was watching the match since it was the first one of the tournament. No one knew what to expect which made their interest piqued even more.

"Begin!"

Gon immediately took off with a burst of speed towards his opponent, heading right past him. Asa assumed that the boy clad in green was probably aiming to catch the ninja by surprise. After all, attacks from behind were always the most difficult to dodge.

However, that plan was foiled at once.

Asa's sharp sight easily picked up on Hanzo moving to be in front of a now surprised Gon. "You must be confident in your legs. You have my respect." Asa could also easily hear Hanzo despite the distance between them.

That was why he could hear the sound of Hanzo's hand hitting the back of Gon's head as if it was happening just a mere inch in front of him.

Asa's nails dug into the palms of his hands at the sight of Hanzo harming someone he considered his friend. He wanted nothing more than to jump forward and to help Gon, but he knew that would just end badly for both Gon and him.

"You did well for a kid." Hanzo looked down at Gon without even an ounce of guilt. Asa winced when Gon collapsed onto the ground in front of the ninja. He heard Kurapika and Leorio gasp in shock to his left while Killua tsked in disappointment on his right. Asa gulped and forced himself to relax and to not have his nails pierce the soft skin of his palms.

"Well, this would already be over if it were a normal fight..." Hanzo reached down and positioned Gon into a sitting position. "Here, wake up." The bald man put pressure on the spiky-haired boy's shoulders, forcing him to arch his back painfully. Asa hissed at the sight and fiddled with his dangling rose earrings as a way to occupy his hands so as to not lash out.

"You must feel terrible." The ninja continued on nonchalantly. "I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me. Might as well give up now..."

"No way..." Gon hissed through clenched teeth.

That earned him another smack to the head. Asa could practically see Gon's vision swarm from how unfocused his gaze seemed to be. "Think about it." Hanzo ignored the coughs that came from the boy in his grasp. "If you surrender now, you'll still be in decent shape for your next fight. There's no reason to be stubborn. Just surrender." That would no doubt work on anyone else who feared getting hurt even more, but Gon was not one of those people.

"Never gonna happen!" Gon, of course, defied the ninja. Asa admired how stubborn and determined his friend was in such a tight spot. He certainly had a lot more courage than anyone he ever knew in his long lifetime. Everyone he had befriended has been one-of-a-kind.

Hanzo hit Gon again.

Asa's red gaze narrowed at the sight of his friend on his hands and knees, clenching his stomach. He _really_ did not like seeing his friend in so much pain. However, he could not find it in himself to look away. He thought it would be disrespectful, in a sense, to ignore what Gon was going through simply because he couldn't bear to see all this happen.

"Surrender," Hanzo repeated once more. Gon slowly struggled to push himself up with his body trembling from the effort. The time it took the normally energetic boy to stumble to his feet was long and painful to see. It was even more painful to watch as Hanzo punched Gon in the stomach while making it look like some sort of chore that needed to be completed.

"Gon! Don't be silly!" Leorio shouted. "You'll still have another chance! You should..."

"Leorio!" Kurapika interrupted. "If you were in Gon's position, would you surrender?"

"Hell no!" Leorio growled. "That guy thinks he's hot stuff..."

"Gon feels the same way!" Kurapika pointed out.

"I know! I know that..." Frustration was clear in the doctor's voice. "But there isn't any other choice!"

"There is the choice of believing in him!" Both of the teens turned to look at Asa. The vampire had crossed his arms in another attempt to keep himself still and was looking straight at where Gon laid on the ground. "Gon has his own strengths which have helped him get this far. He is not the type to give up so I believe he will win." Though he had to wonder just when Hanzo was going to realize this and stop trying to force Gon into submission.

"Asa is correct. I do not like this any more than you do, however, we must have faith in Gon!" Kurapika's eyes narrowed when Hanzo sent Gon flying with a well-placed kick.

Asa pressed his lips together in a thin line as the match continued with Hanzo continuing to beat on Gon who kept on refusing to surrender. It just kept on going on and on without any change. Long minutes kept on passing by with Gon getting even more beat up. He might've been able to stand a chance if he wasn't so caught off guard with the fact that Hanzo could keep up with him, but there was no use dwelling on the past.

"It's been three hours." The Archer muttered.

Really? Has it been that long already?

Asa had lost track of time long ago. He was too focused on one of his only friends getting beat up right in front of him. He hated the powerless feeling that was swiftly swelling inside him at the cruel sight. He hated it especially since he knew that he'd be able to stop this one-sided fight if he so wished to. However, he knew that Gon might not forgive him for interfering and the fact that disqualification might be a very real possibility.

"There's nothing left for him to vomit." The martial artist gravely stated.

The scent of vomit hung heavily in the air. It made Asa want to cover his sensitive nose at the stench but he forced his hands to stay at his sides. Moving even the slightest might just end up with him running over there and punching that stupid ninja right in his face. Maybe even rip off an arm or two to repay the favor.

"Get up." The sound of Hanzo's voice just made him even more annoyed.

"Enough, already..." Leorio was practically trembling in his anger. "I'm gonna kill you! I'll fight you in his place!"

"If you can't take it, leave." Hanzo shot a look over at the angered doctor. "It's only going to get worse."

"What was that?!" Leorio took a step forward only to be blocked by two men in black. "No one may interfere in a one-on-one match." The referee raised his voice in order to be heard from way across the room. "And if you step in, Gon will be the one disqualified!"

Ah, so he was right then. Somewhat. They won't both be disqualified if Asa stepped in to help him but only Gon. If it wasn't Gon who'll be disqualified but the other way around he would've been more than happy to jump in. Like he had said to the chairman earlier, the Hunter License means next to nothing to him. He only took this exam as a way to cure his boredom so it did not matter to him if he failed. Sure his pride might've been hurt if he failed in one of the Phases, however, he would not mind failing if it meant helping one of his precious friends.

"It's okay..."

Asa's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Gon speak. The only words he had said so far was about not surrendering so this was a change. "Leorio." The spiky haired boy called out the other's name as he struggled to stand up straight, hands pressed against his thighs. "This is... nothing..."

Asa clutched at the fabric of his cloak as Gon's head slowly raised to look over at them. "I-I can still fight..." Hanzo then kicked Gon's legs from out under him, sending the boy crashing back to the floor. Asa felt his stomach sink when he saw the ninja pull one of Gon's arms behind his back.

"I'm going to break your arm."

That statement caused Asa to suck in a breath of air. He knew that the man wasn't bluffing and that he'll really do what he had just said. He also knew that Gon wouldn't give up despite the promise of a broken bone. Gon really took stubbornness to a whole other level though Asa didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.

Right now, it might be a bad thing.

"I'm not joking around, so give up." Hanzo coldly said. Asa could see the drops of sweat drip down Gon's face, teeth grinding against each other. "Surrender." Hanzo sternly repeated again. Asa knew that no matter what Hanzo said or threatened him with, Gon will never surrender. In fact, everyone here had come too far to give up so easily. Some may call Gon crazy for not giving up, however, there was a certain strength to that.

"Never!"

The sound of bone snapping filled the room.

Asa made a distressed noise in the back of his throat as he reached out to grab onto Killua's sleeve. He could feel the assassin's gaze on him but he didn't care. He knew that the other boy thought that this whole match was stupid and that Gon should've already surrendered. He didn't want to fight with the other so he didn't probe the issue. It seemed like Killua didn't want to either for he let Asa cling onto his sleeve.

"He really broke his arm." The archer, Pokkle, paled as he looked away from the scene.

"There you go. You can't use your left arm anymore." Hanzo dispassionately stared down at Gon who laid shaking on the tiled floor.

"Kurapika, don't try to stop me" Asa looked over and saw that Leorio's hands had curled into fists. He could see a vein throbbing on Leorio's forehead which was not an uncommon sight for it was quite easy to anger the doctor. Making him so angered could be quite fun, but not right now.

"If that bastard does anything else to Gon..." Leorio's pupils were diluted in his rage. "Sorry, Gon, but I can't stop myself."

"Me? Stop you?" Kurapika's voice was low as crimson slowly replaced gray. "Don't worry. There is no chance of that happening."

Asa did not want to, but he knew he might have to stop them if they chose to interfere. He may want nothing more than to rip that ninja apart, however, this was Gon's fight to win. It was as much as a mental battle as a physical one. Hanzo was not just trying to break his body but his spirit too.

"I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out." Hanzo leaned down and placed a hand on the ground, pushing himself up into the air. "I am descended from the shinobi, a clan of covert agents. From the day I was born, I was forced to endure harsh training in order to master the art of ninpo."

Asa highly doubted that Hanzo faced the same horrors both he and maybe Killua had to face.

"For eighteen years, I have trained my body and technique, without rest. By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man. At this point in time, you cannot defeat me in combat." Hanzo held his whole body in the air with only his index finger pressed against the cold floor. "I'm trying to be nice."

Asa was quite sure that some might argue with that statement.

"Admit defeat-"

Gon kicked Hanzo right in the face.

Asa had seen the subtle movements during Hanzo's speech, but it still left him staring in surprise. Most people would've been unable to move due to the paralyzing agony that Gon was no doubt feeling, however, Gon managed to get past that. He was able to land a blow on Hanzo despite what his body was feeling.

Though Gon soon collapsed on the ground again with a pained whine. "Damn it!" Gon pushed himself into a sitting position while holding onto his broken arm. "My head's cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation."

Asa couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. Leave it to Gon to just sit up and act like hours of torture hadn't just happened. He supposed that was one of the boy's many charms. The ability to get up no matter what happens and to keep on moving forward. Many people did not have the strength to continue on so that made Gon even more amazing.

"Yes! Gon, go!" Leorio loudly cheered. "Kick him while he's down!"

Kurapika merely smiled.

"If you're eighteen, you're only six years older than I am." Gon climbed to his feet. "Besides, this isn't a battle to see who's stronger. It's to see who's willing to surrender first."

Hanzo gracefully jumped to his feet while looking like he hasn't just been nailed in the face. Asa could smell the blood before even seeing the drops of crimson drip down from the ninja's nose. He had drunk from Killua some days ago during the Third Phase so he was surprised to feel his thirst rise. Maybe it was because he hadn't drained Killua of all his blood as he usually does during his feedings. He just might need to drink some blood faster than he had originally anticipated.

"I let you kick me on purpose." Asa did not know if Hanzo was telling the truth or not. Though Leorio seemed to not buy it cause he screamed that the ninja was lying. "You don't understand..." Hanzo wiped the blood from his face on the bandages he had wrapped around his arm. "This isn't a warning."

"It's an ultimatum." The red scarf wearing ninja had his eyes casually closed during all this. "Was it too hard for you to understand? Then I'll make it easier for you." Hanzo slid a blade from underneath the bandages, the sharp steel pressing against the back of the man's hand.

"I'll cut off your legs so that they can't be reattached." Hanzo did a few practice swings with the blade. The sound of the deadly weapon slicing through the air made Asa step closer to Killua who didn't make any move to pull away. "A permanent injury should help to wake you up. But first, I'll ask you once more." Hanzo had a menacing glint in his eyes. "Surrender."

Gon stared at Hanzo with determination clear in his gaze. "I won't accept that!" Asa's lips curved upward in amusement when he noticed how shellshocked everyone seemed to be. "I don't want my legs cut off, but I don't want to surrender. So let's find a different way to fight!"

"Oh, my," Asa giggled at the face the ninja was making.

"Hey..." A vein throbbed on Hanzo's forehead in a very similar manner to Leorio's own visible rage. "Do you understand your own situation?!"

Some of the applicants laughed at the exchange that was going on between the duo. One of those applicants being Hisoka. The sound of the magician lightly chuckling made Asa curiously peer over at him only to quickly look away when their gazes met. He hated how he acted very much like a scared little mouse when it came to the red-haired man, but he just couldn't help it.

"You don't get to make demands! Are you trying to insult me?!" Hanzo snapped as he pointed his blade at Gon. "I'm seriously gonna cut off your legs!"

"But I still will not surrender." Gon stubbornly declared. "Besides, if you do that, I'll bleed to death." Gon looked past Hanzo and at Masta. "He'll be disqualified if that happens, right?"

"Oh, yes."

"See? Neither of us wants that to happen." Gon looked back at Hanzo. "So let's think of a better way."

Asa really liked the look of annoyance painted all over the ninja's face. Leave it to Gon to casually talk with the person who just broke his arm as if it was nothing. He knew he wouldn't be so easy to forgive, but that was just in Gon's nature. The spiky haired boy was the type to easily forget and to forgive others in these types of situations. However, Asa didn't know if that would still hold true if it happened to someone else.

"I think he's okay now." Kurapika chuckled. "Gon's taken control."

"He's so self-centered..." Leorio stared frozen at the match.

"But he's succeeded in convincing Hanzo and the rest of us." Kurapika warmly smiled. "Honestly..."

Asa turned his red gaze away from the teens and towards Killua when he saw him looking around in puzzlement. He smiled, understanding why his friend was confused, and lightly nudged the assassin. "This is Gon's special gift," the vampire started. "He can lift anyone's spirits by just being himself. Pretty great, huh?"

"...It doesn't make sense." Killua muttered as he looked away from Asa. He shook his head at the other boy but didn't press the matter. Killua will just have to figure it out for himself. It wasn't exactly something that was easily taught to others after all.

Hanzo gritted his teeth together and then lunged forward. Asa's eyes widened in surprise when the ninja pressed the tip of the sharp blade to an unflinching Gon's forehead. The movement did not surprise him for he had seen it coming, but the blood that now dripped down Gon's face really did throw him for a loop. He swallowed down the sudden dryness in his throat and mentally cursed Hanzo for drawing blood.

"You really don't get it..." Hanzo hissed. "If you die, you'll never get another chance. If I kill you here, I need only try again next year. We are not on equal footing!"

Gon remained silent.

"Why won't you concede? It's easy to do." Hanzo was starting to look a bit unsettled. "You can try again next year. You value your pride more than your own life?! You're really willing to die for your pride?!"

The starting contest continued.

"I'm going to find my dad." Gon finally broke the silence.

"Your dad?"

"My dad is a Hunter. So I'm going to become a Hunter and find him! I believe that I'll find him one day..." Asa could see that fiery determination blaze in those amber eyes. "But I have a feeling that if I give up now, I'll never find him!"

Asa's gaze followed the drop of blood that fell from Gon's cheek. He nearly whined when the drop splattered against the ground but managed to swallow back the sound before it was heard. Though he had a feeling that Killua knew of his rising thirst for he grabbed ahold of his hand without a word. Asa briefly looked towards Killua, whose gaze was focused on Gon and Hanzo, and felt himself smiling at the other's action. He lightly squeezed the other's hand to express his gratitude before looking back towards the match.

"So I won't surrender."

"If you don't yield, you'll die..."

Gon still refused to admit defeat.

Seconds ticked by before the ninja slowly pulled his blade away from the boy clad in green. "I give up. You win." Hanzo sighed as he walked away from Gon, sheathing his weapon. Asa snickered at the surprised look in Killua's blue eyes. "I can't kill you. But I can't think of a way to make you surrender. I'll take this loss and take my chances in the next battle!"

"I can't accept that. That's not fair!"

"...Eh?" Now it was Asa's turn to look surprised. Hanzo was admitting defeat so there was no reason why Gon should feel the need to protest. Then again, Gon didn't exactly do things that were considered normal. The spiky haired boy did things in his own unique way.

"We both have to think of a way to settle this fight!" Gon pointed at Hanzo whose funky eyebrow was twitching.

"Heh, I knew you would say that. You fool!" Hanzo pointed his finger right in Gon's battered face. "There's no point because you'll never surrender!"

"But I don't want to win like this!" Gon shouted back.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"We can work together to figure it out!"

"In other words, I've already given up on this match, but you want me to try to win again while helping to determine a way to make you feel good about your victory!" Hanzo scowled. "Is that right?"

"Uh-huh!" Gon brightly beamed like nothing was wrong at all with his reasoning.

"You moron!" Hanzo punched Gon who was sent flying a few paces away. "Hey, ref. I lose. Let's move on to the next match."

"Understood."

There were no complaints from Gon since he was knocked unconscious by that powerful punch.

"But I want to tell the executive committee something first." Hanzo turned towards where the chairman stood with those other men in black. "When he wakes up, he'll probably refuse his passing judgment. Because he's a stubborn boy, as we've seen. Only one person will fail this round, right?"

That was what the chairman had stated earlier.

"If Gon fails, wouldn't that make the rest of our fights meaningless?"

Ah, that was true. If Gon refused his license, which really did sound likely, then their matches would be very useless. Asa did not want to waste his energy on something like that. However, it seemed like their matches being meaningless wasn't going to happen.

"Don't worry. Gon has passed." The chairman shook his head. "Nothing he says can change that."

Asa sighed in relief at that. Now, his fight wouldn't be void of any meaning and one of his friends have already passed. He hoped that the rest of his friends will also be able to pass which seemed likely for only one person was able to fail. He didn't have to worry about Killua for he was a trained assassin. Kurapika was smart so he'll be able to plan his way to victory. Leorio, while sometimes annoying, had a good heart and the will to go with it.

Though why did he feel like something horrible was about to happen?

xxxxx

"Begin!"

Asa was currently watching from the sidelines as the referee declared that Killua and Gitttarackur's match was to begin. The other matches after Gon and Hanzo's came and went rather quickly since no one wanted to draw out a fight. All the matches were quick and to the point with someone emerging from the match was the winner.

The only match that had made Asa somewhat nervous was when Kurapika and Hisoka went against each other. He had practically hovered at Killua's side as the blonde and redhead exchanged graceful blows. It was almost like they were dancing with how acrobatic their moves were. Asa was, needless to say, surprised at how the match ended. Hisoka had simply murmured in Kurapika's before walking away while saying that he had lost this match. Asa did not like that look in his friend's eyes when he had returned. He was not able to hear what the magician had said but it must not have been anything good.

Now, he stood next to Kurapika once more while anxiously gripping the other's sleeve. He did not like Killua's opponent and couldn't help but shudder at what might happen. He did not like this one bit and couldn't help but wish that the silver haired boy had actually fought Pokkle. Sure it might've been dull for the assassin, but at least he wouldn't be facing against Gittarackur.

"It's been too long, Kil."

Asa felt dread slowly blossom inside him at the shortening of Killua's name. He watched as the man slowly pulled out one of those needles out of his head. What struck him as wrong was the fact that he couldn't scent any blood in the air. Asa's grip on the blonde's sleeve tightened as Gittarackur went on to remove all the needles that pierced his head.

Asa's red eyes widened when the man's face started to squirm as it started to drastically change. Even Gittarackur's hair was undergoing a change into longer, black hair. With his hair flying upward, it really did look very ominous. He did not understand how those needles changed his face and hair so well, however, that was not what he was most concerned about.

Asa was more concerned with the fact that Killua looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"Brother..." Killua shakingly breathed.

Now Asa knew why Gittarackur struck him as dangerous. Killua had mentioned before in the past that his whole family is assassins which meant that this man whom he had called brother would no doubt also be a deadly assassin. Someone who had also learned how to kill from an early age.

Someone who frightened Killua.

"Hey." The man with those eyes that resembled black holes stared unblinkingly at Killua.

"Killua's brother?" Leorio gaped.

"He used those needles to change the shape of his face?!" Kurapika stared wide-eyed at the now black haired man.

"...I don't like him," Asa glared at the man, red eyes shining in the shadows of his hood.

"I heard that you cut up Mom and Milluki." The man said, his voice lacking any emotions.

"I guess." Killua looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Mom was crying." Killua's brother tilted his head to the side like some creepy doll.

"Anyone would cry if their son did that to them." Leorio scoffed.

"Tears of joy." The black haired man clarified as if he had heard Leorio. Though judging by the fact that he was an assassin that was highly possible. Leorio nearly fell over at that answer which almost made Asa smile. Almost. He was still very worried about how this match will end, especially with Killua facing off against his brother.

"She was so happy to see that you'd grown up. But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked me to check up on you." The man informed. "What a coincidence. I didn't know you wanted to be a Hunter. I'm trying to get a license for my next job."

"I don't really want to be a Hunter." Killua gave a light shrug. "I just felt like taking the exam."

"I see..." The man mused. Asa felt a shiver run up his spine when the air surrounded Killua's brother became more...malicious, for lack of better words. "That's a relief. Then I have some advice for you. You're not cut out to be a Hunter."

Asa, let go of Kurapika's sleeve so as to not shred it. He didn't like seeing the light trembles that overtook Killua's body and hated the fact that he couldn't drag his friend away from his so-called brother. He may have been an only child but he knew that brothers, especially older ones, were supposed to protect their younger siblings and to look out for them. They certainly didn't go around telling their sibling to give up so bluntly.

"You were born to be... a killer."

"You're wrong!"

At first, Asa had no clue who had shouted those words. Then he realized it was his voice who had screamed those words of defiance. He forced himself not to flinch when those pupilless eyes focused on him. He wouldn't stand down from what he said because he is in the right here.

"Killua is but a puppet of darkness, without any sort of passion." Asa's red gaze hardened at what the man kept on so casually saying. As if he was talking about the weather or something else trivial. "Is that not right, Killua? You don't want anything or wish for anything." The long haired man looked back at the silver haired boy. Asa growled at fact that he was being ignored in favor of shooting down Killua's hopes.

"As one who lives in the shadows, you can only feel pleasure when people die."

Asa knew that to be false for he _is_ the one most suited to live in the shadows. He certainly didn't feel pleasure only when someone died by his hand. He used to feel ill at the thought of killing just to survive after his twelfth birthday, however, he learned that it was either them or him. He still oh so selfishly wanted to live even if it meant that someone else must die.

"That's how Dad and I raised you." Killua's brother continued. "What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?"

"True, I don't desire to become a Hunter." Killua murmured ever so softly. "But...I do have something I want..."

"You don't."

"I do!" Killua shouted. "There's something I really want!"

Asa felt a bit of relief since Killua no longer looked like a whipped puppy. That relief faded when the man hummed thoughtfully and raised a hand. "Tell me what it is that you want." Asa felt a cold, sinking feel deep inside him since he knew that the man meant to destroy whatever Killua wanted.

Asa worriedly watched as Killua's mouth moved as if he wanted to say something but no sounds came out. He took a small step forward before stopping in his tracks. He didn't want Killua to get disqualified and he didn't want that man to become a Hunter too. The job he was talking about was obviously an assassination so he did not wish to be the reason why someone was killed.

"What's wrong?" Asa could almost believe that the man sounded bored. "There's nothing you really want, is there?"

"That's not it!" Asa could see the almost sad glint in his friend's blue eyes. "I want to become friends with Gon...and continue being friends with Asa."

Asa's breath hitched in his throat at what the silver-haired boy said. He felt the warmth spread through his cold, unfeeling body at the thought of staying friends with Killua. It felt nice to know that he wasn't the only one to not want this special friendship to end. Though it will end eventually since no one lives forever, however, he wanted to cherish their moments together till that day arrived.

"I'm sick of killing people..." Killua softly confessed. "I want to become friends with Gon, stay with Asa, and live a normal life with them..."

"That's impossible." The black haired man immediately said. "You'll never be able to make friends." Killua's eyes widened as he looked up at his brother. "Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon and Asa because they're too dazzling for your eyes."

Asa knew that he was far from dazzling.

"You don't actually want to be friends with-"

**"Shut up!"**

Asa stepped forward again, ignoring the man in black who appeared in his field of vision. "You may be his brother but you don't actually know anything about him!" Asa glared at the man he was really starting to hate. "It is not up to you to decide what Killua wants for himself! No one but Killua himself has the right to plan his future."

"Is that so?" The long haired man cocked his head to the side. "I do know that if Killua stays with you, he'll end up wanting to kill you one day. He'll get the urge to see if he can kill you or not. Especially since you're not like anything he has faced before."

Asa instantly knew that Killua's brother knew what he really was. He knew that Asa wasn't human but a vampire. However, Asa couldn't find it in himself to care one bit. Normally he would've frozen at the thought of someone knowing about his vampiric nature due to the fact people tended to run away in fear. But Killua didn't run away. He even offered him some blood to make sure he was alright.

"Killua won't hurt me." Asa had complete faith in the silver haired boy. Killua wanted to leave behind the life of an assassin so he'll do his absolute best to help make that dream come true. Even if it meant dirtying his hands even more for he wanted to save Killua from that darkness. Just like how he'd wished for someone to rescue him years ago.

"Asa..." Asa looked towards a wide-eyed Killua and gave him a soft smile in response.

"The brat is right!" Leorio stepped forward only for a man in black to block his path. "As we mentioned before..." The tanned man repeated. "Yeah, I know!" Leorio snorted and looked around the shorter male and towards Killua. Asa's smile widened, knowing exactly what the doctor was about to do.

"Killua!" Leorio called out. "I don't give a damn if he's your brother. He's a worthless piece of crap! Don't listen to him!"

Asa nearly wanted to hug the doctor right there and then.

"Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! Do you want to become friends with Gon? Are you daft?" Leorio pointed his index finger at the silver haired boy. "You already are friends just like how you are friends with Asa! I'm sure that's how Gon feels and you already know Asa feels the same!"

Asa could see his first ever friend jolt in shock at what Leorio had just screamed.

"Really?" Killua's brother looked over at them.

"Hell, yeah, idiot!" Asa winced at how loud Leorio was being thanks to his sensitive hearing. He really needed to tell the doctor to stop being so damn loud all the time. Otherwise, he might just go deaf from all that shouting. Sometimes it really sucked to have above average senses.

"Really... That's no good." The long haired man lightly mused. "They both consider Kil to be a friend." A brief pause before Killua's brother holds up a finger. "Okay, I'll kill Asa and Gon."

_...What?_

Asa felt the blood in his veins run cold when that emotionless gaze fell onto him. "A killer doesn't need any friends." It almost seemed like those pools of nothing but black were glowing as he held up his hands, needles between each finger. "They'll only slow you down." Asa's eyes widened when the man started to take slow steps towards him. And then, he made a critical mistake.

Asa looked into those cruel, cruel eyes.

_**Blood. Death. Screams. Pain. Blood. Death. Screams. Pain. Pain. Pain!** _

Asa screamed.

He could hear the voices of Leorio and Kurapika around him but it all just slurred together into one distorted voice. He was too focused on what he was just forced to witness, nearly consumed by the darkness that Killua's brother bore. His hands were dripping at his dark purple painfully while he fell to his knees. His breathing was ragged, sweat dripping down his face, as he desperately tried to compose himself.

This has never happened to him before. He was able to read the minds of people whose gaze he met, but this was something completely different. Asa didn't just read that man's mind but rather he was forced to feel sensations that had nearly broken his reality. Even though so many voices slurred together, there was one voice he heard clearly through his panic.

"Asa!"

The vampire slowly looked up, pupils even more diluted than usual, and saw Killua looking at him with worry and horror swimming in those blue eyes of his. He took a deep breath to steady himself and shakingly climbed to his feet with help from Leorio and Kurapika who were at his sides.

"Are you alright?" Kurapika whispered, concern flashing in his soft gray eyes. Asa didn't trust his voice to not waver so he instead gave a quick nod. He groaned when his vision decided to make him feel nauseous. Though he did step away from Leorio and Kurapika to prove to Killua that he was very much fine.

"Ah, you're still sane?" Asa glared at the long haired man. He tensed as Killua's brother took another step closer only for Kurapika and Leorio to, surprisingly, block his path. Asa snapped his gaze between the two taller males before looking back at the emotionless man.

"Oh, this simply won't do. I need a Hunter license to do my next job and I cannot obtain that if I kill them right here." The man pressed a finger to his forehead in thought before seemingly perking up. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Asa and Gon."

"Bastard..." Leorio growled as he placed a hand on Asa's shoulder in a protective manner. Kurapika soon followed Leorio's example and also placed a hand on Asa's other shoulder. He blinked a bit oddly at the duo since it has been a very long time since the last time someone had decided to protect him from a danger.

"If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?" Killua's brother looked towards where the chairman was standing. Asa did not like how confident the other seemed to be with his assumption that he'd be able to kill them all without any problem. Asa really hoped it wouldn't come down to that for Killua's sake.

"Yes, according to the rules." The chairman didn't even look the slightest bit concerned.

"Did you hear that, Kil?" Asa worried his bottom lip when Killua's gaze snapped away from him and back onto his brother. "You have to beat me if you want to save Asa and Gon." The black haired man slowly started to walk back over to Killua. "Will you fight me for your friends' sake? You can't do it. Because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me."

Killua flinched.

"And you already have your answer: 'I'm not strong enough to beat my brother.'" The man came to a stop in front of Killua, slowing raising his hand towards the shorter male. "'Never fight an enemy you can't beat.' I drilled that into you..."

"Killua!" Asa called out the other's name in a desperate attempt to grab his attention. However, it seemed like Killua was too caught up in his brother's hypnotizing gaze for he did not respond. The silver haired boy instead moved to take a step back only to get stopped by a sudden command from the man.

"Don't move!" His hand was now mere inches from Killua's head. "If you move an inch, I'll assume that the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, that will also mean the fight has begun." His hand was slowly moving closer with each passing second. "There's only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don't forget..." Each word the man uttered seemed to be laced with poison. "If you don't fight me, your dear Asa will die along with Gon."

Asa ignored the shouted cheers that came from Leorio and instead focused on his terrified friend. He was about to say something, anything really, to try and bring Killua's spirits back up. He wanted to help his friend even if he could only help verbally. He could just interrupt the match even if it'll lead to Killua's disqualification, however, his legs absolutely refused to move. Deep down, he didn't want to face a repeat of what the man had done to him without even lifting a finger.

_"Coward." Newly red eyes filled with hate and rage bore into him._

"I surrender. I lose..." Killua hung his head in defeat.

"Oh, that's good!" The man clapped his hands together joyfully. "Then the battle's over." He laughed as he patted Killua on the shoulder. "I lied, Kil. I was lying about killing Asa and Gon. That was just a little test. But now I have my answer." He leaned in closer while placing a hand of silver locks. "You don't have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me, and do your job as you always have. When the time comes, I'll tell you to take the Hunter Exam. You don't need a license yet."

Then, he walked away after giving Killua a final pat on his head.

Asa swallowed and watched as Killua slowly walked back over to them. "Killua...?" He softly murmured when the silver haired boy stopped next to him. He didn't get a response, but the look in his friend's eyes sent shivers down his spine. Those blue eyes normally filled with mischief were now blank and unseeing.

Asa had never hated someone so much before in his lifetime.

xxxxx

"Begin!"

The referee called out as he swung his arm down. Leorio and the martial artist, Bodoro, were currently facing each other and ready to start their match. Asa was still standing next to an unresponsive Killua and casting him a concerned look every few seconds. He did not know how to help the silver haired boy for he had not had a friend for many years now. The only contact he really has with humans was when he drained them of their blood so he was a bit uncertain on how to cheer his friend up.

Perhaps Gon will be of help?

Asa sighed and looked back over at the duo. After this match came to an end he'll have to fight Killua so he wasn't looking forward to it. He dearly hoped Leorio won this so then he'll be able to surrender his match with Killua without feeling guilty for causing Leorio to fail. He didn't want to fight any of his friends but fate was a cruel mistress indeed. She probably enjoyed a story that sounded much crueler than it was originally meant to be.

Asa saw something silver move out of the corner of his gaze and felt the dread pull at his stomach. He already knew that the silver blur was Killua before even turning to look at it. His red eyes widened in shock when he saw his friend moving to stand right behind Bodoro. "No...!" He could see the glint of Killua's now sharpened nail and immediately knew what the silver-haired boy was aiming to do.

Asa had to stop him! He didn't want those words that his brother said get to him. Killua was so much more than just some killer. Killua did not run away when he found out Asa was one of those creatures of darkness. Killua befriended him when so many other people would've rather seen him killed for simply being not human anymore. Killua _understood_ him in a way Subaru was unable to comprehend.

Killua was simply...Killua.

Asa ran forward, nothing but a purplish blur to others, and went to block Killua. His cloak fanned out around him as he came to a stop in front of his friend. He hurriedly opened his mouth to attempt to talk some sense into the silver haired boy who seemed to be in some sort of daze. He had a sneaking suspicion that Killua's brother probably did something to him.

"Ki-"

And then, he felt a pain so sharp and unreal.

Asa's eyes widened in his surprise, feeling the words on the tip of his tongue turn into a gurgle. He slowly lowered his gaze, ignoring the shocked cries that rang out in the room. He swallowed thickly when he saw what was causing him such agony. Seeping through his shirt and cloak, he bled from where Killua's arm had pierced him right through his chest.

"K-Kill...ua..."

It hurt to talk. In fact, _everything_ hurt very badly. He may be able to tolerate some levels of pain, but this was very different. He hadn't felt this amount of pain since the time when he still lived with his parents. And the scent of his blood was suffocating to him, especially since he was losing so much of the delicious liquid.

Asa looked back up, starting to feel a bit lightheaded, and saw the horror that was slowly creeping into the previous blank stare of his friend. He tried his best to smile but it probably turned out to be more of a grimace instead. "S-Sorry..." Asa painfully forced the word out. Black spots were already flooding his vision and he knew better than to fight the feeling.

Asa fell limp against Killua as he surrendered to the overwhelming darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. Am. Back!  
> Did that ending throw anyone for a loop?~  
> I hope you all leave a comment on what you thought of it!  
> Look forward to future chapters!


	8. Chapter 8

_Cold..._

_So...cold..._

Those were the first thoughts to circle around in Asa's mind when he became somewhat aware. He has always felt cold ever since that day, however, this was a whole different level of coldness that seemed to freeze his entire being. The chill sunk deep into his bones and he wanted to escape the unpleasant feeling.

But his body wouldn't respond to the commands his brain was sending out. _Move!_ Asa would have probably whimpered if he was able to due to the frustration that was slowly boiling inside him. He was so cold and he was unable to escape that deadly chill. How did he even get into this situation in the first place?

_("S-Sorry...")_

Oh, right. The memories of what had happened invaded his sluggish consciousness. He had tried to stop Killua from killing Bodoro only to be too slow. Asa instead had been the one to be impaled with his blood splattering in mimic of crimson rain. He felt a stab of guilt at the thought of being the one to cause that look of horror on Killua's face and hoped that he wouldn't take what had happened too hard.

It was his own fault. If he was faster than he wouldn't have been so wounded. If he had been a better friend somehow than he would've been able to snap Killua out of that frightening daze. If he had been able to protect Killua from that damn brother of his then none of this would've happened. Nothing would've gone so horribly wrong in such a short span of time.

Then, Asa became aware of another presence close by. A presence that made the suffocating chill increase. A presence that expressed amusement at his current position. Dark amusement mixed with hidden intentions that he instantly shied away from. At least, as much as he was able to with his inability to physically move which trapped his mind in place.

Asa struggled to do _anything_ to help him flee this cold prison his body has been doomed to. Every nerve in his frozen body screamed in protest at what he was trying to accomplish. Finally, after who knows how long, he was able to crack open his eyes just the slightest bit.

Asa immediately regretted his decision.

Blinding lights filled his vision causing him to squeeze his eyes back shut. He could start to feel a massive headache coming on, pounding at the edges of his skull, but decided to try again. He had to get away from that presence as fast as possible. He had to try to find Killua and make sure he didn't blame himself for harming him so.

Asa forced his eyes to open slightly once more. The light wasn't as bright as before but it still left him wishing for that darkness to embrace him in its sweet relief. His vision was slowly starting to come into focus as the long seconds passed by. No longer were there any black spots dotting his vision so he took that was a good sign that he was healing.

Asa could see that the ceiling was pure white along with the walls that he could see out of the corner of his eyes. He could feel something soft beneath him which suggested that he was laying down in a bed. He somehow managed to turn his head with a lot of effort and saw someone he _really_ didn't want to see. Especially when he just woke up from passing out.

"It appears that you have finally woken up, little one."

Hisoka was sitting in a, unsurprisingly, white chair close by which was angled to face him. The red-haired magician had that sly, knowing smirk pulling at his lips that sent new shivers down his spine. Asa forced his gaze away from the man and instead inspected the room he was in.

It appeared to be some sort of hospital room judging by the whiteness of it all and the needle that was taped to his pale arm. He followed the line that was attached to the needle and saw the IV bag on a metal hook. Though the liquid inside wasn't clear and was instead a familiar red color.

"Blood is being inserted into your body to help you heal from that _unfortunate_ incident." Hisoka had followed his gaze to the IV bag. Asa shot the other male a suspicious, wary look which caused a chuckle to rumble deep in his throat.

Asa did not know why Hisoka was here with him but it left him feeling uneasy. It also did not help that there was no one else in the small room. He tried to move his mouth, to say something, but the words just wouldn't form. It took several tries for Asa to regain enough feeling in his numb body for him to communicate with the redhead next to him.

"W-What do yo-"

"That friend of yours has been disqualified."

Asa's eyes widened in shock. Hisoka could only be talking about Killua due to what had happened before his consciousness left him. He wanted to protest against what Hisoka had just told him but knew that it would be no use. Since Killua had moved to kill Bodoro, that obviously meant that he did not plan on passing the Hunter Exam. That wouldn't have changed even with his involvement.

In fact, he might've made the situation even worse.

That thought depressed him since he just wanted to help Killua. Asa should've been more careful since all humans were quite complex creatures. There was no telling what one might do but there were some who were very easy to read. It also helped that he was able to read their minds, however, he never relied too much on that ability since it involved actually meeting their gaze.

"Where's Kill...ua...?"

Hisoka's smirk widened as if he had expected Asa to ask that question. It kind of disturbed him to know that the redhead knew him enough to predict what he was going to say. They barely even talked throughout the Exam and yet Hisoka was here next to him. Though Asa knew that the magician had his own agenda to fulfill which just so happened to include him.

The only question that remained was what Hisoka wanted with him.

"Your dear friend has decided to return to his home at Kukuroo Mountain."

"Killua didn't decide to do anything! That man _made_ him leave!" Asa snapped angrily. He still and will never forgive that man who called himself Killua's brother for causing his friend so much distress. And he can hold grudges for a very long time indeed.

"Oh?" Hisoka sounded and looked amused which made Asa even angrier. "And how did Illumi do that, hm?"

So that man's real name is Illumi? Asa was not amused at how close that sounded too "illuminate" for that man was the complete opposite of such light.

"His eyes," Asa quietly recalled, unconsciously gripping the white bedsheet even tighter. "...Those eyes are not normal..."

Hisoka merely hummed in response.

Asa narrowed his eyes at the magician and struggled to sit up. He did not have the energy to waste on Hisoka since he needed to get up and _find_ Killua. He needed to reassure him that he was alright. Even if that wound would've been fatal to humans, it was not fatal to a vampire. At least he thought so. The only things he knew about vampires was the stuff in those fairy tales humans wrote.

He managed to stay in a sitting position by pressing his back against the uncomfortable metal headboard of the hospital bed. His wound throbbed in protest to his movements but he ignored it. He did not want to appear weak in front of the sly magician whose actions he was unable to predict.

Asa's next step was to kick the bedsheet off him so he'd be able to stand up. He barely noticed that his attire now consisted of a white short sleeved shirt and pants. His previous clothing was most likely covered with blood that does not wash out easily. He managed to swing his still somewhat numb legs over the edge of the bed, ripping out the IV, only to get stopped when his vision blurred and he felt faint. He covered his eyes with a shaky hand and groaned, feeling a pounding sensation in his head.

"Now now, no need to get so hasty, little one." Hisoka's smooth voice filled his ears. "With the amount of blood you lost, I am afraid you won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

Asa hated the fact that Hisoka was right. He knew that so much blood has left his veins due to the almost fatal wound he received, but that did not steer him away from his goal in the slightest. He believed his own injury to pale in comparison to what Killua was suffering from thanks to his brother.

"I don't care," Asa let his hand fall back down onto the bed. He blinked a few times to allow his sight to adjust and to let everything come into focus. "I need to talk with Killua."

Asa then attempted to stand up only to gasp when he felt a firm hand grasp his arm. The vampire yelped when he was pulled down onto a smirking magician's lap. He was practically straddling the man's lap which made Asa blush lightly at his new position. He was rarely ever near other people outside of any sort of battle so this was still new territory to him.

"His-?!"

"Drink my blood."

Asa sucked in a breath at what the magician had purred oh so silkily. He was currently pressed against the warm body of the human, feeling his heartbeat under his curled up hand. He couldn't see Hisoka's expression since his face was mere centimeters away from the human's exposed neck. He could hear the sound of blood running through the other's veins thanks to his sensitive hearing.

Asa cursed both Hisoka and his own hearing.

"You will need my blood to help increase your recovery time. Currently, you are about as powerless as a newborn babe." Hisoka's hand settled on the small of Asa's back to keep him in place. "Drink my blood and then go on your way. The rest of your little group is already heading for Kukuroo Mountain."

"...What do you get from this?" Asa suspiciously questioned. It took a lot of restraint to keep himself from just digging his fangs into Hisoka's neck and drinking till he was satisfied. Hisoka probably knew his struggle too which made him even more frustrated.

"I will call on you in the near future for you will owe me one request."

Owing Hisoka was not very appealing to him. Not in the slightest. There was no telling what the magician might ask him to do and he dreaded being forced into doing something. He disliked the thought of refusing to do whatever task even more since he did not wish to be seen as untrustworthy. Besides, he highly doubted that backstabbing Hisoka will end well.

But it wasn't like he had much of an option either way. Asa needed to head out as quickly as possible to help Gon and the others find Killua. He also had to inform them that he was still very much alive since they might believe otherwise. There was no doubt in his mind that Leorio, their own personal medic, had immediately tried to check up on him after being impaled like that. Leorio would've found out the main difference between humans and vampires.

Asa's heart has long since lost the need to pump blood through his veins.

Asa's hands grasped at the magician's shirt as he leaned in closer to his neck, warm breath brushing against fair skin. "Fine," the vampire breathed. "You have yourself a deal..."

_Chomp._

Asa did not prepare Hisoka like he had with Killua. He instead went in straight for the bite with fangs tearing into flesh with ease. He shuddered as the dark, rich taste of Hisoka's blood filled his mouth. He could feel his mind slowly go blank as he gulped down the flowing blood.

Hisoka's blood was very different from Killua's blood in taste. Killua's blood tasted of tainted innocence while Hisoka's had the taste of seductive velvet that coaxed him into having more. He was more messy with this meal than before simply because he had neither the luxury or time to be slow and sweet. He also wanted some payback in being forced to make a deal with the magician.

The only sound that filled the room was the noise of Asa greedily slurping down Hisoka's blood.

xxxxx

Asa straightened his hood as he scanned the light blue seats that the airship had. He had boarded the airship only minutes before and was currently looking for Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. Hisoka had mentioned earlier that they had already set out to look for Killua so all Asa had to do was follow their scent when he was able to. He was able to use his new Hunter License to purchase a ticket right off the bat in order to board the large airship.

Asa had changed out of those white clothes and into a new outfit. His old one has ruined thanks to his blood so Chairman Netero had given him a new one. His current outfit consisted of a pure black shirt with detached sleeves that started just a bit above his elbows and flowed down past his wrists. He was also wearing a cloak that was much like his previous one only its color was gray. His shorts were smoke in color and reached his knees evenly. He was wearing a pair of black lace-up boots with a bit more heels in them than his past shoes. Of course, he still wore his rose choker and earrings since they will always be very precious to him.

The vampire frowned slightly when he had yet to spot either one of his friends as he continued to walk down the aisle. Their scents were fresh so they could not be that far away. He sighed and stepped around a middle-aged man to continue his search for his friends. However, he ended up being the one found instead.

"Asa!"

Said vampire yelped when a force rammed into him from behind sending them both crashing to the ground. He had recognized the voice which was why he did not react violently to the surprise attack. "Ugh, nice to see you too, Gon." Asa groaned as he struggled to roll over. The other boy happily got off him and let Asa scramble to his feet. This time the vampire was more than happy to return the one-armed hug with both of them now standing up and not sprawled out on the ground.

"Asa?! B-But you're _dead_!" Leorio accusingly pointed a finger at him from his spot next to a bewildered Kurapika.

"Technically I am," Asa glanced around them at the other people who were looking at them with annoyance and confusion. "How 'bout we talk about this in private?"

Kurapika, bless his soul, stopped Leorio from screaming anything else. "Of course," he nodded as he gestured in the direction Asa was originally going in. "Our seats are over here." Asa happily stepped to the side and let the blonde lead the way. In just a minute or two they were all sitting down on their seats tucked away in the corner of the long aisle. Leorio and Kurapika shared one seat while Gon and Asa shared the other one.

"Now," Kurapika started once everyone was settled. "Would you care to explain why you have survived a fatal wound?"

Asa swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous. Killua and Gon had reacted well to the news of him being a vampire, but how would Kurapika and Leorio react? He did not know and that scared him the most. He did not want to lose his friendship with the two teens since he had grown fond of them throughout the Hunter Exam.

Asa blinked when a felt a hand grab ahold of his own. He looked towards the side to see sweet, sweet Gon giving him that smile that spoke a thousand words. If Gon was able to hold such confidence then he can do it too.

"I'm...not human. I was born a human, yes, but later in my life, I was turned into a vampire. Hence the pointed ears, slit pupils, and fangs." Asa took his hood off while he was speaking. "Being a vampire is also the reason why my body temperature has greatly lowered due to my 'demise' and why my heart no longer beats."

Kurapika had his eyes closed in thought to process what Asa had just revealed. Leorio, meanwhile, looked completely flabbergasted. His expression made his lips twitch into an almost smile since at least Leorio wasn't running away screaming. Kurapika, on the other hand, seemed to be musing over the information logically. No doubt using whatever information he knew to determine if Asa was telling the truth or not.

"...Here, look at this," Asa decided to give them more visible proof of his claim. With both of their gazes now resting on him, his hands reached for the choker around his neck. He effortlessly unclipped it and pulled it off his pale neck. He brushed strands of dark purple aside to give his friends a better look on what he had hidden beneath his rose choker.

There, on the left side of his neck, laid a scarred bite mark. It was faded as a sign of it not being new but still quite visible to the eye. Especially against the paleness of his smooth skin. He kept it hidden beneath the gifted choker as a way to hide his past.

"On my twelfth birthday, a vampire broke into my home and drained my parents of their blood. He then attempted to do the same to me, however, something went wrong. I do not remember much after that but I do remember the feeling of acid burning through my veins. A change taking hold of my body. When that pain finally passed I had realized that something was incredibly different with my body. It took some time of looking up stories, but I managed to find out that I was now what was called a vampire. A blood-sucking monster..."

Asa trailed off almost sadly. He could still remember when he had desperately denied that fact right after finally connecting the dots. He eventually had to accept his fate after running out of an angry village because he was no longer human. After all, people tended to fear things they do not understand.

"I know what a monster is and you are most certainly not one." Kurapika's gaze shadowed with distant memories before clearing. Asa felt a stab of guilt, knowing exactly what the young Kurta was speaking about. He quickly shook off the feeling and gave the other male a small, grateful smile.

"All of this is hard to grasp, but I know you, Asa," Leorio scratched his head. "You may be an annoying little brat at times, even a bit scary, but you always looked out for us. Or Killua, to be more specific." Leorio leaned over and roughly ruffled the vampire's hair much to his protest. Asa pouted as he smoothed down his dark purple hair and felt relief at having been accepted by the rest of his friends.

"You guys are the best." Asa smiled thankfully.

The trip went on with Leorio and Kurapika leaving to get snacks while Gon looked out the window. Asa had seen the distant look in his friend's amber eyes and had decided to leave him alone to his thoughts. He too had some things he would like to muse over while waiting for the blonde and black haired teen to return with snacks in tow.

Like about how he just couldn't forget the way Hisoka had tasted on his tongue.

xxxxx

"Thank you for taking the Lamentation Tour today." The curly haired woman at the front of the bus bowed. "We will be visiting Kukuroo Mountain, home to the famous Zoldyck family of assassins."

Asa and the others had just arrived at the Republic of Padokea earlier that day and had managed to catch a ride in one of the tour buses that run. Lucky for them, the tour also included the Kukuroo Mountain which made their trip there all the easier. It really did help that the home of the Zoldyck family was part of the popular tourist attraction.

"Look." Leorio leaned forward to murmur to Kurapika. Asa and Leorio were sitting behind Gon and Kurapika on the bus since the green seats could only hold two people at a time. "They obviously aren't tourists." Asa curiously followed the aspiring doctor's gaze to two men in the back of the tour bus. He immediately knew why they caught Leorio's attention for they looked like they were ready for a fight.

They were obviously here for more than the scenery.

"Yes..." Kurapika narrowed his gaze, studying the men.

"Everyone?" Their tour guide called out. "Please look to your right." Asa turned his head away from the battle ready men and towards the window, peering around Leorio. "That is Kukuroo Mountain, where the Zoldyck family lives. A forest surrounds the 3,722-meter mountain, and the Zoldyck estate is somewhere on that mountain. But no one has every actually seen it."

Anyone who came looking for the family of assassins most likely died trying.

"The Zoldyck family includes ten members: a great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, and then, there are five children. All of them are assassins! Then, let us approach the mountain."

The bus stopped and everyone eagerly got out to look at the meters tall gate. Asa looked at the gate in disbelief since it was incredibly high. Who had a use for such a tall gate? Obviously, no one in the assassin family was that tall so there must be another purpose to having such a large and heavy-looking gate constructed.

"That's really something." Leorio whistled.

"This is the front gate of the Zoldyck estate." The tour guide cheerfully smiled. "Also known as the Door to Hades because no one who's entered has ever returned alive."

The dragon statues at the top certainly fit the name.

"To enter, you must pass through the door beside the security checkpoint."

"Hm?" Asa looked towards the small building that stood beside the double doors. Now that confused him. Why would there be two entrances right next to each other? There was something very wrong with this picture. Especially with how those doors somehow looked... _newer_ than the large gate.

"But the area beyond the gate is private property so we can't proceed."

"Hold on!" Leorio loudly interrupted. "This is the front gate? The mountain's all the way over there!"

"Correct..." The tour guide turned towards them. "The Zoldycks own Kukuroo Mountain, as well as the surrounding land."

"This whole area is their backyard?" Leorio muttered in disbelief.

"Well, I guess their jobs pay rather well in order to own so much land." Asa thoughtfully eyed the gate with letters etched on it.

"Hey, guide..." Gon turned towards the smiling woman.

"Yes?"

"What do we have to do to get inside?" Gon pointed towards the gate using his free hand.

"Little boy, were you listening to my explanation?"

"We were." Asa cut in before Gon could, stepping towards the tour guide. "However, surely you can answer my friend's question for it must no-"

"If you go inside, you'll never get out alive!" Asa's eye twitched when the woman rudely interrupted him. "Assassins live inside."

"It's all a sham."

Asa tilted his head slightly to the side when the men Leorio had commented on earlier walked by. They both reeked of arrogance that many human men these days carried around with them. The one with the blonde and black hair then said, "A family of assassins that no one's ever seen."

"Just a photo of their faces is worth a hundred million." The shorter of the duo smirked.

"Seriously?!" Leorio shrieked. "Damn! I should have taken a picture a picture of Killua!"

"That would be a bad decision," Asa stated. "Killua is part of an assassin family and has most likely participated in some jobs. There will no doubt be some people seeking revenge on any Zoldyck for a lost life."

That caused Leorio to grumble under his breath about the unfairness of it all. Though Asa knew that Leorio wouldn't give away Killua's picture to anyone asking for it. The man had a heart of gold even if he was a bit greedy.

"It's just another case of rampant rumors masking a mundane truth." The armed men confidently walked over to the security house next to the double doors. The tallest of the two ripped the door off its hinges and threw it aside. The tanned man then reached in, grabbed the elderly security guard by the collar of his jacket, and hauled him out of the small building.

"Open the gate!" The man snarled.

"I-I cannot do that." The elderly guard stammered. "The master would not be pleased."

"Don't worry." The man wielding the sword gave an ugly smirk. "We're going to kill your master."

"I highly doubt that," Asa murmured to Kurapika. "Killua has proven himself to be quite the opponent so I believe that the older members must be more skilled. These men don't stand a chance."

"I agree." Kurapika nodded. "These men are not Hunters and therefore will be killed in their foolish attempt."

The old man then sighed and produced a key from his pocket. Asa watched as he held it up to the arrogant men. The vampire frowned when the elder was tossed to the side after the tall man took the key from him. Asa followed after Gon towards then fallen elder and crouched down next to him.

"Are you okay?" Gon asked as he and Asa helped the old man sit up. Asa knew that the guard was alright since he did not scent any blood on him. He could also feel, now that he was close, the strength that the elder seemed to still possess despite his age. Then again, age can be very deceiving.

"Yes. I'm fine." The guard nodded his thanks and looked towards where the double doors had just closed after the duo had passed through them. "Man... Now Mike's going to end up eating between meals again."

_...Mike?_

"Huh?" Gon looked back at the man in puzzlement while Asa narrowed his eyes. The sound of terrified screams soon filled the air causing many of the tourists to pale drastically. The silence stretched on after the screams had ended which made Asa tense slightly in response. That kind of silence was never good.

Asa's narrowed gaze focused on the doors that were slowly creaking open. The appearance of two picked-clean skeletons made the dark purple haired boy recoil slightly in surprise. There was only the faintest scent of blood too which meant Asa even tenser. The sight of a large furred hand didn't help in the slightest.

The clawed hand dropped the battered skeletons onto the stone floor before retreating behind the double doors. That, of course, sent the tourists scrambling back to the tour bus in fear of their lives.

"Please...He's only supposed to eat at assigned times. Mike!" The nearly bald man called out. "Don't blame me if you get fat!"

"What was that?" Kurapika questioned.

Leorio could only gulp in response.

"Hey, boys!" The tour guide yelled once she realized that she was missing four of her group. "What are you doing? Get on the bus!"

"You can leave." Gon smiled largely. "We're staying here."

"Huh?" The woman looked at them like they were crazy yet didn't bother to persuade them. Asa watched as the bus took off down the street, soon leaving nothing behind but a cloud of dust in its wake.

They soon gathered in the small security building with Leorio looking the guard over for any injuries. Tea was made and handed out to everyone but Asa who had declined politely. His friends did not push the issue for they now knew why he was unable to drink such substance.

"I see." The guard mused after Kurapika had finished explaining why they were there. "So you're young Killua's friends. I'm happy to hear that. I've worked here for twenty years, but this is the first time any friends have come to visit."

"This is a very dangerous place and I highly doubt Killua's family would've allowed any friends anyway." Asa scowled at the thought of Illumi. He still clearly remembered those cruel words Illumi had said to Killua. He did not care if they were family. He'll kill Illumi if he tried anything else like that with his precious friend.

"Unfortunately, that is true." The elderly man sadly smiled before sitting down on a nearby stool. "Since I work here, I shouldn't say this, but the place is rather lonely. No one ever visits. Though we do see a lot of those..." The guard pointed towards the trash can where the skeletons had been dumped into.

"Well, a family of assassins is pretty unusual..." Especially with how public they were. "So I suppose it's the price they have to pay. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Thank you." The man bowed forward slightly to show his gratitude.

"Don't mention it," Leorio assured.

"However..." The elder's eyes cracked open. "I cannot let you inside."

Asa's eyes narrowed.

"Didn't you see the large arm of the creature? Its name is Mike. It serves as the Zoldyck family watchdog. It only obeys family and will attack anyone else. The beast still follows the order its master gave it ten years ago..."

That suggested that this "Mike" had some sort of intelligence to still remember something from that long ago. How troublesome.

"To kill every single intruder. But technically, he isn't following the order." The elder chuckled. "Because he keeps eating them..."

"Either way, a kill is a kill." Asa shrugged. "It does not specify how to kill so it's free game."

"True, true," the guard murmured in amusement as he grabbed his handleless teacup. "Anyway, I can't let you inside. I wouldn't want to reduce young Killua's friends to skeletons."

"Sir, how is it that you're safe?" Kurapika had that gleam in his eyes that suggested that he was thinking deeply about a subject. "You go inside, correct? If you never needed to enter, you wouldn't have a key."

Leave it to the blonde to realize something like that.

"Quite perceptive of you." The old man seemed to be starting to respect the last of the Kurta clan. "But you're only half right. I require no key to get inside." The guard pulled out the key he had retrieved from the skeletons earlier from his pocket to show off. "This key is for intruders."

"A key for intruders?" Leorio repeated, eyebrows furrowed.

"For some reason, eighty to ninety percent of intruders attempt to use the front gate. If I don't open the gate for them, they'll try to break it down. Such troublemakers..." The guard shook his head. "So we added a locked door to one side. The intruders take the key from the helpless guard, and then Mike eats them."

"...That is quite the ruse." Asa snorted as he crossed his arms.

"That's it!" Kurapika exclaimed.

"As you just realized, I'm not a guard. I merely clean up after Mike."

"And the actual gate isn't locked!" Kurapika finished.

"Exactly."

"What?" Leorio turned around on his stool and stared out the doorway at where the large gate was. Asa merely cocked his head to the side at the realization since he had already somewhat figured it out.

In just a few seconds they were all gathered in front of the large gate with Leorio swinging his arm around in preparation. Asa was quite curious to see if the human would be able to open it since he did have a lot of raw potentials. All Leorio had to do was harness it in order to get stronger.

Asa perked up when Leorio firmly placed his hands on the gate and _pushed_. Or, at least attempted to. The vampire giggled at the aspiring doctor's failure to push the gate open. He also felt a surge of amusement when Leorio tried to pull the gate open only to fail at that too. He enjoyed how his friend's face turned bright red from the amount of effort he was putting into it.

"I've tried pushing and pulling, but it won't budge!" Leorio complained. "Are you sure it isn't locked?"

"Step aside, girl," Asa mischievously grinned as he stepped forward, handing off his cloak to Gon. A now grumbling Leorio stalked off to stand next to Kurapika as Asa approached the gate. He may still be somewhat weakened, but he was positive that he'd be able to open this gate. Especially if it meant finding Killua.

Asa rubbed his hands together before placing them on the cool surface of the gate. He pushed and pushed against whatever type of gate it was, feeling his arms starting to tremble from the effort. He grunted as the gate opened due to the strength he was putting into his push. Asa quickly stepped back, the doors of the gate sliding shut, and gasped for breath.

That took too much effort than what he was comfortable with.

"Are you okay?"

Asa looked back at Gon who looked worried. Kurapika and Leorio were also eyeing him in concern thanks to how exhausted he was now. "Y-Yeah..." Asa tried to calm his breathing. "I'm just not...fully recovered yet."

"You should sit down for a while," Kurapika advised. Asa sighed but went along with it since he knew that he really needed a rest now. He accepted his cloak back from Gon, pulled it on, and settled down on the ground a few feet away. His back pressed against the gate as he curled up, arms wrapped around his knees. He could still hear what was going on with the others so he did not have to worry about missing anything.

"This gate's official name is the Testing Gate and it looks like your friend over there has passed." The old man said. "That is great for anyone who cannot open this gate in unqualified to enter the Zoldyck estate."

So, he barely passed this so-called test then.

Lovely.

"As you had seen earlier, the door closes automatically, so you'll want to run in, the second it opens. You don't need to worry about Mike. He has orders not to attack any who enter through the Testing Gate. Still, this is getting tougher as I age... But they'll fire me if I can't open the gate, so I need to keep in shape."

The old man's job sounded pretty demanding though that is to be expected since he does work for Killua's family.

"I should mention that each of the gate one's doors weighs two tons."

"Two tons?" Leorio gaped. "You're not supposed to be able to open that! Wait, what did you say? Gate one?"

Asa hummed slightly when he realized where Leorio was going with that.

"Yes, have a look. There are seven gates. When you go up a gate, the weight doubles."

"Doubles?" Asa could see the look of shock on Leorio's face. At least now they know why those engravings are there on the large gate. Each one identified a new gate that was way heavier than the previous one. It was no wonder Leorio had been unable to open that one since two tons is very heavy to a human.

"The number of gates that open depends on the amount of strength you use. Incidentally, when young Killua returned, he opened gates one through three."

Asa's eyes widened.

"Gate three? That would be twelve tons!" Gon stated.

"Sixteen tons, Gon." Kurapika corrected.

Killua must be very strong in order to push that amount of weight. While he, a being supposedly stronger than humans, had been only able to barely open gate one. Sure he was still recovering, however, he had never actually sought to test his limits. Now, faced with the very real possibility that Killua was actually stronger than him, made his dead heart wail in sadness.

How could he protect Killua when he was weaker?

"Do you understand now? This is what's required just to get in the door. They live in a completely different world."

"Hmm. I don't like it." Gon muttered. "Mister, lend me the key."

Asa snapped his gaze towards Gon in shock.

"I came here to see my friend, not to be tested." Asa could see that familiar stubbornness blaze in those amber eyes. "You can consider me an intruder. So let me borrow the key." Gon invitingly held out his hand. "I'll use the intruder's door."

"Gon!"

"Hey..."

Both Kurapika and Leorio protested against Gon's plan.

Asa himself wanted to knock some sense into Gon. Those skeletons were picked clean, not even a trace of flesh or blood left, so Mike was obviously an intelligent and deadly watchdog. Mike had also protected the grounds from any intruder for ten whole years so that also spoke volumes of just how efficient Mike was at killing any who entered. Gon would have to be absolutely insane to go against such a predator.

"It doesn't matter if you won't loan me the key." Gon continued. "I'll just climb the wall if that's what it takes."

"Don't be stupid, Gon!" Leorio snapped. "Didn't you see that monster? Its arm was bigger than your entire body!"

"I won't accept this!" Gon's words made Leorio snap his mouth shut. "Why would you test your friends? I'll never enter through that door."

"You are absolutely right." The elderly man rubbed the back of his head. "However, forcing your way through is impossible. Mike will kill you."

"I agree." Kurapika decided to input his opinion. "We have plenty of time. Let's figure out a way to enter through gate one."

Asa sighed when Gon merely held out his hand once more for the key.

"Unfortunately, I cannot lend you this key. I will not feed young Killua's friends to Mike. Well, please wait here for a minute."

Asa curiously watched as the old man started to walk back towards the security building. Leorio and Kurapika exchanged looks before following after the elderly man. Gon paused and looked back at where Asa was sitting against the gate. The vampire rolled his eyes and waved in the direction of the building.

"I'll be fine out here for a while," Asa insisted. "Go on ahead."

Gon nodded and swiftly disappeared into the building after the other three. Asa gave a slight shake of his head and leaned back against the structure, red eyes fluttering shut. This moment of peace and quiet offered the perfect opportunity to think about what he'll say to Killua.

Killua most likely thought he was dead just like how Leorio and Kurapika had thought. He'll have to explain a bit more on how a vampire body differs from that of a human which will hopefully assure the silver haired boy that he won't die so easily in the future. Asa dearly hoped that Killua was okay since he didn't know what to expect from the Zoldyck family. However, they must be no good judging by how Illumi treated Killua.

Just the thought of that black haired bastard made his eyes narrow, even more, nails digging into black fabric.

Asa forced himself to relax by thinking about how Illumi was most likely not here. That old man only mentioned Killua returning so there was a high possibility that Killua's brother was elsewhere in the world. _That is for the best,_ he darkly thought. He just might end up trying to rip that human apart if he saw him again so soon after watching Killua's match with him.

_It'll serve him right._

"Hey! Stop it, Gon!"

Asa blinked when Leorio's shouting voice reached his ears. He looked to the side and felt surprised when he saw that Gon was now attempting to climb the wall. The spiky-haired boy has thrown his fishing line and was currently using the line as a rope to slowly walk up the wall. He had to admit that he was impressed since Gon was doing all that with one arm in a sling.

"It's okay. You three can wait here." Gon pressed both his feet against the gate. "I'll go by myself."

Asa shook his head with a faint smile and stood up. He was feeling more steady on his feet and so he walked over to where Kurapika and Leorio were gathered around a very stubborn and angry Gon. Asa had to assume that whatever went on in that small building did not end well due to how angry his normally grinning friend is.

"I can't let you do that!" Leorio shook his fist back and forth.

"I'll be fine! Gon insisted.

"No, you won't!" Leorio shot back.

"Both of you should calm down!" Kurapika scolded.

"Yeah, let us all think of a way that won't get us all eaten." Asa dryly said as he came to a stop next to Leorio, arms crossed.

"I'm perfectly calm!" Leorio's voice was loud which signaled that he was pretty much the opposite of calm. "Come down here, Gon!"

Asa turned his attention away from the arguing trio and towards the elderly man who was now approaching them. Their voices became background noise as he curiously inspected the man in the gray suit. However, he was quite surprised by what the old man offered.

"Gon-kun, I'll give you the key." The old man held out the key as he came to a stop behind them. "You can go through the door."

"Please do not encourage Gon for he will take you up on your offer." Asa snorted. "Besides, I do not feel like going against Mike. We will be able to get our stubborn friend up there down soon enough."

"Really?" The old man raised a brow. "But he appears to be a stubborn boy."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Asa chuckled.

"To make amends," the elderly man focused on Gon. "I'll accompany you through the door."

"Huh?" That got Gon to stop and look down at the old man in confusion at his sudden decision.

"It's possible that Mike may recognize me and decide not to attack." The old man explained. "Though I'm almost a hundred percent certain that he'll kill us all."

How reassuring.

"You can't do that." Gon jumped down and back onto the ground. "I don't want to cause you any trouble."

This is why Asa liked Gon. The other boy was so selfless compared to many other humans who roamed the world. Gon instead put others first and wanted to make sure everyone was happy. However, he was not selfless enough that it will end up being the cause of his downfall. Gon knew where to not cross the line whether it be a conscious or unconscious decision.

"No. I'm coming with you." The old man firmly said. "The result will be the same if I stay behind. If I send young Killua's friends to their deaths, I'd never be able to face him again. If you die, I will also die."

Asa turned his gaze away from the elderly man and to Gon when he noticed the boy flick his fishing pole. His sharp gaze caught the sight of the fishing line unhooking from wherever it was hooked and reeled back in.

"I understand now." Gon turned to face the old man. "I didn't stop to consider your situation. Sorry."

Asa smiled at the sincere apology that came from his friend. Gon really was too sweet for this world. He hoped that sweetness will stay with the spiky-haired for the rest of his life though he knew that wouldn't happen. The world was especially cruel to those with pure heart and mind.

"You must like animals, Gon-kun." Asa suspiciously narrowed his gaze when the old man suddenly changed the subject.

"Yeah." Gon blinked in confusion.

"Just as I thought." The elderly man nodded as if Gon's answer confirmed something. "Did you grow up playing in the countryside?"

"Yep! How did you know?"

"Gon-kun, I'm going to open the Testing Gate again. I want you to see Mike for yourself."

Now that statement made Asa even more suspicious. However, the others did not complain so he didn't complain either. Instead, he warily followed the others through gate one after the old man pushed it open. They took a few steps towards the trees that started a distance away from the structure.

The moonlight surrounded them in its graceful rays causing Asa to relax lightly. The moonlight always calmed him thanks to its beauty, especially when the moon was full as it is now. It reminded him that there was a certain beauty in the dark of the night. It made him feel better about his status as a vampire when he was still newly turned.

"Hey..." Leorio uncertainly looked around. "Is it really okay for us to come in?"

"Yes, you'll be safe because you entered through the Testing Gate." The old man then cupped his hands around his mouth to increase the volume in his voice. "Mike! Come here!"

Asa hurriedly looked around for any sign of the beast known as Mike. Bushes rustling and footsteps thudding caught his attention rather quickly. He snapped his gaze to the side milliseconds before Gon and tensely waited for Mike to appear from the darkened forest.

Asa paled when Mika finally came into sight.

Mike certainly looked like he was related to a dog or wolf though the fact that he had thumbs. He was slender and his purplish fur looked like it needed a good brushing. But those black eyes really made Asa freeze to the spot when he met the hound's cold gaze.

There was no thought behind those endless pools of black. He could only detect cold calculations worthy of something mechanic. The cold steel of Mike's mind was slowly washing over him, causing shivers to take ahold of his weakened body. He couldn't hear anything, didn't care to, for he was trapped by that monster dog's gaze.

It reminded Asa of Illumi's mind with the exception of being forced to feel sensations that tried to drive him insane. He wanted to tear his gaze away but found himself unable to. The vampire thickly swallowed, face now an ashen color, and wished for Mike to just...

_**Go away!** _

Asa continued to tremble as Mike got up, turned away, and disappeared back into the blackness that swallowed the forest. He shakily released the breath he was holding, relieved that the hound had gone away. He did not know why Mike had retreated but he was grateful all the same. Asa took deep, calming breaths and turned his attention back to the conversation on hand. Luckily, no one else had noticed his episode for they were also rooted in place in their own terror.

"-n, could you fight him?"

Gon quickly shook his head. "No. I'm scared. I don't want to fight him!"

"The same goes for everyone here I believe." Asa hugged himself in an attempt to comfort himself.

"Well, how long will you be here?"

"We aren't leaving without Killua!" Asa bristled at the thought of leaving without the silver haired boy. Just because he was terrified of Mike does not mean that he'll just abandon Killua to his cruel family. They will leave with Killua in tow and hopefully not die trying to rescue him.

"Asa is right! We won't leave without Killua!" Gon backed him up in his decision to stay.

The old man gave a soft chuckle, almost as if he had expected their answer.

"Then please come this way." The old man beckoned for them to follow them deeper into the forest. Asa let his hands drop back to his side and forced himself to walk steadily after the elder.

_We're coming for you Killua!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!  
> Please leave a comment on what you thought and also leave a kudo!  
> Look forward to more~


	9. Chapter 9

Asa curiously stared at the large house in front of him. They had walked quite the distance from the Testing Gate to reach this building. The duration of the walk was spent in silence, everyone pondering their own thoughts about Killua's birthplace. Asa himself had some questions he wanted answered, but his main focus was on his surroundings. He liked the vast forest that surrounded them on all angles despite the fact that this place is extremely dangerous.

  
It was night by the time they came to a stop in front of the house that appeared to have three floors. Or, at least, two floors and an attic. The house itself seemed wooden, however, the double doors him and the others were standing in front of seemed to be made out of metal along with the wooden planks. That caught his attention the most and he was sure that Kurapika noticed it too.

  
"Here are the servants' quarters." The elder announced after allowing Asa and his friends to get a good look at the building. "It's getting late. So you can stay here tonight." The elderly man placed a hand on one of the doors and pushed it open with ease. Asa did not fail to notice the dark marks on the wooden floor inside the house. There was no doubt in his mind that the door was very heavy to cause drag marks on the floor.

  
"Please come in."

  
Asa pressed his index finer against his rose choker in an absent, comfort-seeking gesture before following his comrades into the cozy looking building. He let his red gaze go about the room as he stepped across the wooden floor. Everything seemed normal, but the vampire knew that to be false. He highly doubted anything on these grounds could be considered 'normal.' He already had a fair idea of what to expect with that large gate and the...guard dog.

  
"Hey, I'm back!"

  
Asa briefly glanced back at the elder, Zebro, before looking towards the wooden stairs nearby. An unfriendly looking man wearing what happened to be a furred coat was stepping down the stairs while smoking a cigarette. The man's hardened gaze swiftly passed over Asa and the others before settling on the still smiling Zebro standing near the door.

  
"Oh, you rarely bring guests."

  
"This is Seaquant," Zebro introduced the other when it became clear that said man wasn't going to do the honor himself. "He works with me here."

  
"Good evening!" Gon happily greeted.

  
Asa narrowed his red eyes when the man merely huffed before stepping off the staircase and continued to walk. "If you managed to win over Zebro, you must be special." There was almost a sneer in the unfriendly man's words. No, there is no almost. The sneer was totally dripping like venom from each uttered word.

  
Asa decided that he didn't like Seaquant.

  
"Well, make yourselves at home. Though it won't be easy here." And with those words he disappeared through an open doorway straight across the room from the stairs. Asa rolled his eyes at the man before turning towards his friends and Zebro.

  
"Can we get something to drink?" Asa asked the elder. "All that walking made us all thirsty."

  
Okay, that was both a lie and the truth. Asa is thirsty, yes, but not for whatever drink Zebro would serve them. His preferred drink was pumping through the veins of all present humans. He asked for the sake of his friends who are not like him and needed refreshments even if none of them broke a sweat during the hike.

  
"Of course, of course," Zebro nodded and gestured to the doorway Seaquant disappeared through. "Please wait in the living room while I get some tea."

  
Asa watched as the elder shuffled off to a different part of the house, most likely the kitchen, before turning towards the others. "Should we trust them?" He questioned quite bluntly and quietly. He had made sure to wait till he was sure that both residents of the house were out of earshot, but there was no telling if their senses are heightened or not.

  
"...I believe we can," the blonde Kurta slowly nodded. "At least for now. But we shouldn't allow our guards to fall during our stay here."

  
"Yeah, I get what you're going at," the aspiring doctor grimaced. "Don't know when they'll turn on us and all."

  
"I think they're nice!" Gon grinned. "Zebro's helping us meet with Killua!"

  
"That is true," Kurapika acknowledged. "Nonetheless, we should proceed with caution."

  
"Alright," Asa nodded at the blonde's suggestion. Zebro and Seaquant are both servants to Killua's family. They'd have to obey orders from the head of the family and if the head wanted them out of Killua's life...

  
...Well, Asa can at least confidently say they won't go down without a fight.

  
The four of them entered the living room and Asa immediately noticed Seaquant leaning against the wall close by. They exchanged looks before Asa and the others settled down on the benches facing the wooden table in the middle of the room. When Zebro came in with a teapot and a tray of teacups Asa scooted over with Gon to make room for the elder.

  
"You want to see young Killua?" Zebro asked to clarify as he poured them all cups of steaming tea. Asa noticed how the teapot thudded against the wooden table when Zebro put it down. The metal teapot must weigh quite a lot for it to make such a sound. In fact, everything in this house seemed to be heavy. He wondered why that is.

  
"That's a riot!" Seaquant gave a sharp bark of laughter before any of them could answer. Asa shot the unfriendly man a glare at his attitude. Was it really so hard to believe that they came to see their friend? Killua may have grown up as an assassin, but he isn't as cruel as his brother. The staff here should know that Killua is different from his brother and doesn't deserve such a lonely life.

  
"Sorry. But we're dead serious." Leorio shared Asa's frustration with how he scowled at the older man. Kurapika also nodded his agreement while still holding a calm position by having his hands folded neatly in his lap. Asa sneaked a peek at his spiky-haired friend but his head was turned so he couldn't see Gon's expression. Though Gon did appear to be relaxed like he wasn't in potential enemy territory.

  
"Then let me give you a warning: Give up, and go home."

  
"What was that?!" Leorio growled as he shifted slightly to face Seaquant.

  
"We are not going to give up and leave without seeing Killua!" Asa slammed his teacup down on the table with enough force to send the hot liquid swishing. The tea felt scorching against his pale skin, but that wasn't his main focus. He refused to give up without letting Killua know that he's still very much alive. He couldn't stand his friend feeling guilty for 'killing' him anymore than he already did.

  
Asa needs to say he's sorry to Killua.

  
And for that to happen, they had to meet face-to-face.

  
"Zebro told you about the Testing Gate, right boy?" Seaquant's glare landed on Asa who happily returned it. "That should give you an idea of what this place is like. You should just give up and go crying home to your mommy and daddy." The man's tone became more mocking towards the end and Asa was sorely tempted to just pounce on this irritating human.

  
"We understand that it won't be easy." Gon piped up as he rested his free hand over Asa's fisted ones. The vampire shot his friend a look before allowing himself to relax under the other's touch. He could see that Gon was as determined as him which gave him peace of mind. Seaquant's words won't sway him or his friends at all.

  
"But we're not leaving. Not until we see Killua!"

  
Asa's lips curved upward at Gon's stubborn words and drew his wet hands away. Seaquant seemed surprised by the spiky-haired boy's response with how his eyebrows lifted. Leorio and Kurapika exchanged warm smiles while Zebro looked pleased. The elder probably thought he chose well in allowing the four of them into the servants' quarters.

  
"Asa," Leorio went into doctor-mode. "Let me see your hands."

  
"I'm fine."

  
"Don't argue brat."

  
Asa pouted but slipped past Gon to hop off the bench. He shuffled over to Leorio and sat next to him while holding out his hands for the taller male to inspect. The tea didn't burn his hands that badly so Asa expected for this to be a quick and easy check-up. Usually he was more concerned around people with medical knowledge, but Leorio knew he's a vampire so his worries were lessened. He wouldn't have to think of how to excuse his sickly skin color and non beating heart.

  
"When Killua was in trouble, I wasn't there for him." Gon clenched his free hand into a fist. "If I had been there... I could have stopped Killua!"

  
Asa flinched. Unlike Gon, who was unconscious at the time, he was there. He had tried to stop Killua from succumbing to his brother's influence and failed. He had probably scarred his friend with how he took what would've been a fatal blow for humans. Killua knew he's a vampire, but injuring someone you cared about to that extent would scar just about anyone.

  
He also felt a bit selfish for wanting Killua to care that much about him. They only knew each other for a short while, but Asa can honestly call Killua his friend. It has been so very long since he last interacted with someone who looked to be his physical age and so he was drawn towards Killua for being the first one to talk to him out of his new group of friends.

  
"Killua is my...our close friend!" Gon locked gazes with a surprised Asa. He almost felt like crying when he saw no anger or judgement in the other's eyes. Just steely determination to get their mutual friend out of this place.

  
A large hand settled on his head causing Asa to glance up at Leorio with even more surprise. The aspiring doctor grinned at him before ruffling his dark purple locks. "Hey!" Asa yelped as he swatted at the hand messing with his hair.

  
"We don't blame you," Leorio's gaze turned more serious and he looked back at Kurapika.

  
"We all know you care about Killua," Kurapika warmly smiled with such soft eyes. "You didn't plan on that happening, but that is the past now. You can make it up to Killua by letting him know that you're alive and that no permanent harm was done."

  
....Asa really felt like crying.

 

"A-Are you crying?!" Leorio's eyes comically widened.

  
"No!" Asa immidieately denied as he wiped his teary eyes. That didn't seem to convince none of his friends.

  
"No need to be so shy brat!" Leorio laughed as he drew Asa forward to be between him and Kurapika.

  
"Everyone needs to cry once in a while," Kurapika wrapped an arm around the flustered vampire who tried to get away.

  
"I'm not cryi-oof!" Asa yelped when Gon suddenly glomped him out of nowhere. Wasn't he just sitting over there a second ago?! He was almost impressed by how fast Gon can be, but he was also embarrassed at being caught almost crying.

  
"I got you Asa! Cry all you want!"

  
"I'm not crying!"

  
xxxxx

  
Asa frowned a bit as he fingered the fifty kilogram vest he wore. It really did weigh quite a lot and Asa had sort of struggled when he first put it on. But nothing like how Leorio had struggled. Poor man. It was funny watching Leorio fall down to his knees the second after putting on weighted vest and how Zebro had to open the door so he could use the bathroom. He knew that Leorio will be fine with a little time though so he couldn't laugh at him forever.

  
After that whole ordeal, they were shown to rooms. Leorio and Kurapika had already went to bed leaving just him and Gon awake. They had spent the rest of the day training by practicing picking up items in the house so it was no wonder Leorio and Kurapika were exhausted. However, the two had also insisted that Gon take it easy because of his broken arm so he wasn't as tired as them.

  
Now Asa watched as Gon trained outside in the dark to prepare for the Testing Gate. He had no problem with what Gon's doing so he let the boy be. He understood his determination to get to Killua and therefore wouldn't interfere with the spiky-haired boy's training. They both wanted to get to their friend no matter what. But he did stay to watch him in case his broken arm caused a problem or something.

  
And the night breeze felt great on his moonlight-kissed skin.

  
"Asa."

  
Asa looked up when his name was suddenly called. "Yeah?" He asked as Gon jogged over to where he was sitting in front of a tree. Gon had earlier taken off his green jacket so Asa could see the layer of sweat coating his skin. He felt proud that his friend is working so hard without complaining even once. It just reminded him of how different Gon is compared with other spoiled humans in the world.

  
"I still owe you dinner." Gon sat down in front of him expectantly. At first, the vampire was confused by the other's words. Then it dawned of him. Asa had won that race during the First Phrase of the Hunter Exam and the loser had to buy dinner. Though that didn't work for him since all he could consume is...blood...

  
"Do you mean...?" Asa hesitantly looked at Gon's exposed throat. Seeing bare skin and the slightest glimpse of veins underneath made his mouth feel as dry as a desert. He did need blood, but he was hesitant to accept Gon's offer. He only accepted Hisoka's because he didn't like the man and he was desperate. But-

  
"We're friends, right?" Gon leaned in closer after noticing Asa's hesitation. "And friends help each other."

  
...Asa couldn't argue with that. Not after having drank Killua's blood before. He guessed that it wouldn't be fair if he denied Gon's offer only to go back around and nibble on Killua instead. They are friends, after all. He should just suck it up and drink from Gon. Who knows, maybe he'll be as tasty as Killua had been.

  
"It'll hurt," Asa warned as he shifted closer to Gon. He gripped both of his friend's shoulders and leaned towards his unmarked neck. He could practically hear the blood humming in the other's veins and it made his mouth water. As much as he wanted to just ravish Gon he made a conscious effort to take it slow and sweet by licking the skin before him.

  
Asa gently bit down on Gon's offered neck and...

  
...immediately recoiled with a surprised grimace.

  
"Eh? What's wrong?" Gon asked in confusion. However, Asa wasn't listening to his friend and instead slowly licked his lips of lingering blood. He just about gagged at the taste of the other's blood and regretfully wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

  
Gon tasted sweet which wasn't all that surprising, but he tasted too sweet. So sweet that he was nearly afraid that his fangs would rot at the incredibly sweet and innocent taste of the island boy in front of him. There was also another taste to the other's blood that he couldn't quite place. It tasted sort of...earthy somehow. Gon's blood reminded him of innocence connected with childhoods and the stubbornness of nature refusing to die out.

  
How strange.

  
"You taste so sweet," Asa gave his friend an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but I can't drink your blood."

  
"It's okay," Gon shrugged but gave Asa a concerned glance. "Will you be okay?"

  
Asa smiled in reassurance as his gaze drifted up to the night sky.

  
"Yeah...I will be..."

  
xxxxx

  
Days passed by with everyone training their hardest. The weights slowly increased as they got more accustomed to what they wore. Asa's weights, of course, were heavier than what the other three wore because of his status as a vampire. Zebro somehow knew and just kindly smiled at him as he increased the young vampire's weights. He had felt relieved at seeing yet another human accept his status as an undead.

  
Asa was glad that Gon never looked concern every time he declined drinks or some food. Kurapika and Leorio looked concerned during the start, but after Asa explained his situation they backed off. Though he didn't explain it entirely. He had just said he couldn't eat human food and left it at that. Kurapika, the observant one of the duo, gave him an understanding look before smiling and walking off.

  
Asa had felt a pang of painful familiarity when he saw that smile.

  
Now, they are all standing in front of the Testing Gate once more. Kurapika and Leorio stepped up first since Asa could already open a gate by himself. He has already 'passed' the test so his training was just to increase his strength and encourage his friends. Though he really didn't need to encourage them since he had faith in their ability to open the gate very soon. All that training was already starting to pay off.

  
Who knows, maybe they'll open it today.

  
"Hey, why don't you try removing those vests today?" Zebro suggested much to Kurapika and Leorio's happiness.

  
"Oh? Music to my ears!" Leorio didn't even hesitate to shed his vest and drop it to the ground. Asa chuckled when the vest made a dent in the earth followed by Kurapika's vest. Asa decided to follow their examples and took off his vest too. He instantly felt so much lighter and cheerfully dropped the vest to the ground. The crater it left was at least double the size of the other one which made him wince.

  
"Yours was really heavy," Gon, who's standing next to him, noted. Asa grimaced and nodded. It's hard to believe he was carrying around that weight all this time. He may be a vampire but it's not like he goes around carrying heavy things like this.

  
"Let's do this Kurapika!" Leorio widely grinned at the blonde who smiled confidently in return. Asa could see that the duo are feeling a lot more confident in their strength now that the weights are off. All of that training must have helped, after all. Asa, too, felt confident that his human friends will finally open the gate today. Confident that they'll come one step closer to getting to Killua and taking him away from his family's madness.

  
Asa eagerly watched as the two firmly placed their hands on the gate. "One, two, three!" Kurapika and Leorio counted in unison before pushing all of their strength into their hands. He could see their feet digging into the ground and felt a wave of pride when he saw that neither human were giving ground to the force.

  
"...They're doing it!" Asa grinned when he saw the gate start to open a little. The grin soon fell when the gate refused to open up any more. However, his friends weren't going to give up so easily. They continued to push and push at the stubborn gate with sweat dripping down their foreheads and teeth clenched in determination.

  
He slowly turned his red gaze onto Gon and took note of the steely look of determination in his own eyes. He swiftly looked towards Zebro who gave Asa a slight nod. Smiling, he turned back towards the island boy and asked, "How's your arm?"

  
Gon's amber eyes lit up.

  
Soon, Gon's weights and cloth bandage were on the ground and the boy was walking towards the gate. Even if Gon is now fully healed, Asa still carefully watched as Gon got between a surprised Kurapika and Leorio and put his hands on the gate. He didn't want his friend getting even more hurt if his arm proved to be frailer than before. That'd really suck.

  
"Why are you using your left arm?" Leorio worriedly hissed. Ah, leave it to the doc to ask something like that.

  
"He's fine, old man!" Asa teasingly called out. "Gon wants to help get to Killua too!"

  
"Brat!" Leorio yelled back at the vampire boy. But he didn't protest Gon being there anymore and Kurapika just breathlessly chuckled at the whole scene. The three pushed against the gate even more and they became joyous when the gate started to open even more.

  
Asa shrieked in joy and victory when his human friends managed to open the gate. He bolted forward to his three friends and threw himself on top of Gon who fell forward onto the ground. "You guys did it!" He laughed as he ruffled Gon's spiky hair. He continued to giggle as the tan boy squirmed enough underneath him to sit up and mess up his own hair in return.

  
Their gleeful laughter became contigous with how Leorio and Kurapika soon joined them in their victory at conquering the gate.

  
xxxxx

  
"Follow the path, and head for the mountain. The mansion should be somewhere up there."

  
Asa curiously looked up towards the mountain and tried to see if he could see any large structures. No luck. He turned back towards the old man who was graciously giving them directions. They had spent yesterday celebrating being able to open one of the gates with Zebro cooking up a feast and Leorio somehow finding some bottles of alcohol. The aspiring doctor was the first one to pass out and Kurapika then hid away the alcohol before Gon could try it.

  
Now, they're standing outside the house and getting ready to leave for Killua's family's mansion. Asa didn't know how he felt exactly about going to a place where a bunch of assassins lived but he did know he wasn't going to leave without Killua. He'll fight Killua's whole family if he has to! Especially that bastard brother of his.

  
"I'm ashamed to admit that even though I've worked here for twenty years, I've never been up the mountain. Sorry that I couldn't be any help." Zebro apologetically smiled.

  
"You've been very helpful regardless of that," Kurapika dipped his head in thanks.

  
"You've both been very helpful!" Gon assured.

  
"Tch, you better come back alive. I'll hate it if all that training went to waste because you were stupid enough to get killed." Seaquant scoffed.

  
Asa just grinned at this because he knows that meant that the man really did care about them. He's just too tough to show it. "Don't worry," he teased. "We'll be sure to drop by and bother you again."

  
Seaquant rolled his eyes at the dark purple-haired boy.

  
"Alright! Let's be on our way!" Leorio grinned and waved goodbye. He and Kurapika started to walk down the path but Asa and Gon had one last thing to do. Zebro gave a surprised noise when both he and Gon threw themselves at the old man for a hug. "Thank you!" They chorused before moving on to hug Seaquant.

  
Asa laughed at the red coloring Seaquant's cheeks at their sudden action before sprinting off with Gon to where Leorio and Kurapika awaited them. Asa slowed down once he reached the duo and started to walk for the dense forest as Gon gave Zebro and Seaquant one last wave goodbye.

  
The thick trees and shadows may look pretty ominous but that didn't make Asa turn away. They're one step closer to Killua and he certainly won't turn his back on his friend, especially with the three humans with him and giving support to each other. In fact, this sort of reminds him of a book he once read a long, long time ago.

  
It made Asa laugh when he thought of them as knights riding to rescue the princess from the evil dragon's lair.

  
It totally fits the situation.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoy my fanfiction! Please don't be afraid and comment!
> 
> I don't own the anime Hunter x Hunter cause I'm not that creative.


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